GOOD  NEWS 
FOR  RUSSIA 


A  Series  of  Addresses  Delivered 
at  the  First  General  G>iif  erence 
for  the  Evangelization  of 
Russia,  at  the  Moody  Tabernacle, 
Chicago,  June  24th  to  28th,  1918 


BV  3777  .R8  B76  1918 
Brooks,  Jesse  Wendell,  1858 

Good  news  for  Russia 


GOOD  NEWS  FOR  RUSSIA 


GOOD  NEWS  FOR  RUSSIA 

A   Series  of  Addresses  Delivered  at  the  First 

General  Conference  for  the  Evangelization 

of  Russia^  at  the  Moody   Tabernacle, 

Chicago y  June  24th  to  2 8 thy  igi8 


EditecTiiy 

REV.  JESSE  W.  BROOKS,  PH.   D. 

Chairman,  Russian  Conference;   Secretary  and  Superintendent,  Chicago  Tract  Society; 
Ex-President,  Union  Missionary  Training  Institute,  New  York. 


Ml 


Chicago 
THE  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  COLPORTAGE  ASSOCIATION 

826  North  La  Salle  Street 


Copyright,    1918,   by 

The   Bible   Institute   Colportage   Associatiou 

of    Chicago 


PUBLISHERS'    NOTICE 

Orders  for  "GOOD  NEWS  FOR  RUSSIA"  may  be 
placed  with  The  Bible  Institute  Colportage  Association, 
826  North  La  Salle  St.,  Chicago,  111.;  or.  The  Rus- 
sian Missionary  and  Educational  Society,  1820 
Spring  Garden  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Price:  Paper 
Covers.  6©  cents;  ten  copies  for  $5.00.  In  Cloth 
Covers,  $  1 .00. 


TO    THE    THOUSANDS 

OF    MISSIONARY  VOLUNTEERS    OF   ENGLISH    SPEECH.   AND   THE 
HANDFUL  OF  CONVERTED  RUSSIAN  IMMIGRANTS   IN   AMERICA, 

TO   EACH    OF    WHOM 

IS    COMMITTED    THE    RESPONSIBILITY 

OF  INVESTING   A   LIFE, 

THIS    VOLUME, 

PRESENTING   THE   CLAIMS   OF   A  COUNTRY, 

THE    GREATEST    IN   EXTENT    AND    OPPORTUNITY 
OF  ALL   NATIONS, 

UNTIL   NOVV^  CLOSED  TO  THE  GOSPEL  MESSAGE, 

AND   WITH   A  POPULATION 

APPROXIMATELY  DOUBLE 

THAT   OF   THE  ENTIRE  UNITED    STATES    OF   AMERICA, 

WITH   FAITH,    HOPE   AND   LOVE, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED 


PROSTRATE  RUSSIA 

By  Ernest  A.  BeU 

God,  the  all-merciful,  Russia  lies  bleeding, 
Stabbed  by  her  traitors  and  mangled  by  foes. 

Hear,  as  we  bend  before  Thee  interceding, 
Look  on  her  agonies,  pity  her  woes. 

Send  forth  Thy  Word,  that  shall  bring  to  the  nations 

Healing  for  misery,  hope  for  despair. 
Lowly  ive  utter  our  hearts'  supplications. 

Trembling  toe  offer  our  penitent  prayer. 


Give  them  defense,  who  were  Europe's  defenders — 
Beating_Jlh£.JLaj'laT  aback  from  Thy  fold, 

Battling  for  faith  and  for  freedom  contenders — 
RecoTYipense  noiv  for  their  heroes  of  old. 

Thou  vjilt  not  answer  our  plea  with  rejection: 
*'Ask  what  ye  will;  what  ye  ask  shall  be  done.'' 

Give  to  her,  chastened  and  saved,  resurrection. 
Father,  grant  This  in  the  name  of  Thy  Son. 


V 


REV.   JESSE  W.   BROOKS,   Ph.   D. 
Chairman  First  General  Conference  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia 


REV.  E.  Y.  WOOLLEY 

Associate  Pastor  of  the  Moody  Church,  and  newly-elected  Chairman  of 

the  Alliance  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia 


FOREWORD 


THIS  volume  presents  to  the  reader  a  remarkable  series  of  ad- 
dresses bearing  upon  one  of  the  most  important  themes  engag- 
ing the  attention  of  thoughtful  Christian  men  of  our  day. 
A   great   interdenominational   and   international   conference;    in   the 
call  for  which  more  than  a  hundred  evangelical  leaders,  representing 
all  branches  of  Protestant  Christianity,  united;  was  in  session  at  the 
Moody  Tabernacle,  Chicago,  from  June  24th  to  June  28th,  1918. 

The  theme,  "For  the  Evangelization  of  Russia,"  was  in  itself  an  ap- 
peal both  timely  and  popular.  Over  the  conference  platform  was  dis- 
played conspicuously. 


? 


'Let  Us   Stand  By  Russia  In  This  Hee  Hour  Of  Need," 
/^ 

the  ringing  message  of  our  great  American  President,  Woodrow  Wil- 
son. 

The  conference  program  was  arranged  to  be  at  once  informing  and 
inspiring, — to  inform  the  people  regarding  a  great  subject,  and  to  in- 
spire them  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  great  task. 

These  addresses  by  representatives  of  four  great  nations,  two  on 
either  side  the  Atlantic,  are  given  for  the  most  part  as  they  were 
stenographically  reported.  While  each  speaker  was  free  in  the  presen- 
tation of  his  subject  and  there  was  no  effort  to  harmonize  or  unify 
the  messages,  still  there  were  three  matters  about  which  all  seemed  in 
perfect  accord.  These  were:  (1)  the  greatness  of  the  present  oppor- 
tunity in  Russia,  with  its  doors  open  and  its  hundred  eighty-two  mil- 
lion people  waiting  for  the  Gospel;  (2)  the  necessity  of  taking  up  the  i 
work  at  once,  or  the  danger  of  delay;  and  (3)  the  desirability,  so) 
far  as  possible,  of  conducting  the  work  in  Russia  upon  such  a  broad 
evangelical  basis  as  not  unduly  to  exhibit  to  the  new  Russia  the 
denominational  differences  which  have  existed  in  our  evangelical  work 
in  America. 

It  is  hoped  that  these  messages,  some  of  which  were  listened  to  by 
thousands  when  originally  delivered,  will  in  printed  form  reach  other 
thousands,  and  thus  that  those  interested  in  the  evangelizaton  of  Rus- 
sia will  soon  be  numbered  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands  and  millions 
throughout  Christendom. 

13 


14  Foreword 

If  this  little  volume  shall  prove  instrumental  in  awakening,  or  in 
deepening,  popular  interest  among  English-speaking  people  in  the 
matter  of  evangelizing  Russia's  millions,  the  editor  and  the  splendid 
body  of  speakers  and  teachers,  associated  with  him  in  its  preparation, 
will  feel  richly  repaid  for  their  labor  of  love.  In  these  days  of  un- 
paralleled opportunity  let  us  stand  by  Russia  with  our  prayers. 

The  Editor. 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Prostrate  Russia.     (Poem)     The  Rev,  Ernest  A.  Bell   -        -        -  7 

Foreword 13 

Manifesto  Calling  the  Conference 17 

Program  of  Conference 23 

The  Opening  Service 27 

Brief  Word  of  Greeting.    The  Rev.  Jesse  W.  Brooks,  Ph.  D.     -  29 

The  Prayer  League  and  the  Conference.   Mr.  Thomas  E.  Stephens  31 

A  Quiet  Hour  Address.    The  Rev,  A.  B.  Winchester  -        -        -        -  33 

Sacred   Sorrow.     The  Rev.   Gustaf  F.   Johnson     -        -        -        -  41 
The  Person   and   Power  of   the   Holy   Spirit.      Pastor   William 

Fetler              .        .        - 44 

Russia's  People  and  Their  Neighbors.    Prof.  Michael  A.  de  Sher- 

binin 49 

Why    America    Must    Take    the    Leadership    in    Evangelizing 

Russia.      The    Rev.    David    Nyvall 57 

The  Great  Opportunity  in  Present  World  Conditions,    The  Rev. 

Gustaf    F.    Johnson 62 

The  Inspiring  Vision  of  a  Regenerated  Russia.    The  Rev.  A.  B. 

Winchester 70 

A  Quiet  Hour  Address.    The  Rev.  A.  B.  Winchester    -        -        -  79 

The  Bogoiskateli:   or,   Se^ekers  After  God.     Prof.  I.  V.  Noprash        87 
The  Conference's  Message  to  President  Wilson    -        -        -        -      96 

The  President's   Response 97 

What  Has  Been  Done  to  Evangelize  Russia?    The  Rev.  Chas.  A. 

Blanchard,  D.  D. 98 

What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People  and  Their  Neighbors 
Now  IN  America?  (Symposium)  The  Rev.  Jesse  W.  Brooks, 
Ph.  D.  (presiding).  For  the  Russian  Poles:  Mr.  Constantine 
Antoszewski;  for  the  Poles:  Rev.  Paul  Kozielek;  for  the  Bul- 
garians: Mr.  Andrew  Todoroff;  for  the  Bohemians:  Rev.  V. 
Hlavaty;    for  the  Greeks:   Rev,  C.  T,  Papadopoulos;   for  the 

Armenians:   Rev.  M.  M.  Aijian 107 

A  Great  Missionary  Program  foe  Russia.    Pastor  William  Fetler     125 
The  Holy  Spirit  in  Missions.     Pastor  William  Fetler    -        -        -     135 

15 


16  Contents 

Page 
A  Plea  fob  the  Six  Million  Jews  in  Russia.     The  Rev.  S.  B. 

Rohold 141 

The  Russian  Orthodox  Church.     The  Rev.  Robert  M.  Russell, 

D.  D.,  LL.  D. 153 

Forty  Years  in  Russia.     The  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer    -        -        -        -        159 
Greetings  of  the  American  Bible  Society  and  Open  Conference. 

The  Rev.  S.  H.  Kirkbride,  D.  D.,  Mr.  John  Wasylkiev,  Prof. 

J.  J.  Vince,  Rev.  John  Bokmelder,  Rev.  Eric  Olson    -        -        -     169 
Among  the  Mohammedans  and  Kurds  at  Ararat.    The  Rev.  N.  F. 

Hoijer -        -        -        -    173 

America's  Opportunity  in  Russia.    Rev.  James  M.  Gray,  D.  D.    -    180 
A  Concerted  Movement  for  Russia's  Evangelization.     The  Rev. 

W.  R.  Wedderspoon,  D.  D. 185 

Prophecy  and  Present-Day  Events.    The  Rev.  Robert  M.  Russell, 

D.  D.,  LL.  D. -     190 

The    Practicability    of  Reaching    the    Russian    and    Slavonic 

Peoples  of  Europe  Through  Their  Brothers  Now  in  the 

United  States  and   Canada.      (A   Symposium)      Prof.   I.  V 

Neprash,  Messrs.  Henry  Singer,  Gottfried  Busch,  L.  B.  Trow 

bridge,  Moses  H.  Gitlin,  C.  E.  Putnam,  H.  B.  Centz,  D.  Kilen, 

Mrs.  Myra  Boyington  Grupe,  Prof.  Michael  A,  de  Sherbinin 

Rev.  Howard  W.  Pope,  Pastor  William  Fetler    -    - 
The    Bible,    Prophecy    and    the    War.       The    Rev.    James    M 

Gray,  D.  D. 

Russia  and  the  Greek  Church.     The  Rev.  Elias  Newman    - 
Testimony  of  a  Volunteer.     Mr.  Henry  Singer     - 

A  Plea  for  United  Work.    Dr.  V.  J.  Vita 

An  Interesting  Experience  Related.    Mr.  Antoszewski 

Permanent   Organization 

A  Statement  by  the  Chairman  of  the  Alliance.    The  Rev.  E.  Y, 

Woolley 

An  Appeal  for  the  Students  of  The  Russian  Bible  Institute 

Pastor  Fetler 


200 

210 
217 
226 
228 
230 
233 

235 


237 
The  Closing  Word.     Dr.  Brooks    -        -       * 240 


The  Conference  Message 241 

Brief  Messages  from  Some  Absentees 246 

Appendix:     A    Word    of    Entreaty — Russia's    Latest    Appeal — 

China  and  Russia 249 

Important  Announcement 252 

The  Cry  of  Russia.  (Poem)   Pastor  William  Fetler        -        -        -  253 

Subject  Index 254 


y 


THE  MANIFESTO  CALLING  THE 
CONFERENCE 

World  Crisis  for  Missions  in  Russia 
A  Call  for  Prayer  and  Conference  on  Behalf  of  Russia's  Millions 

AT   THE 

Moody  Tabernacle,  Chicago,  June  24th  to  June  28th,  1918 

To  the  Lord's  People  Everywhere: 

"The  Revolution  in  Russia  has  resulted  in  throwing  open  to  the 
Gospel  the  largest  country,  with  its  largest  population  of  white  people 
in  the  world.  There  are  182,000,000  people  in  Russia,  and  yet  there  are 
not  as  many  evangelical  workers  there  as  in  the  city  of  Chicago  alone. 
Many  are  eagerly  waiting  for  the  Gospel.  When  recently  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  "Dom  Evangelia"  mission  in  Petrograd,  immediately 
after  returning  from  Siberia,  went  with  his  choir  and  workers  to  the 
large  square  directly  in  front  of  the  Winter  Palace,  and  conducted  for 
the  first  time  in  the  existence  of  that  city  an  open-air  Gospel  service, 
large  numbers  of  men  and  women  assembled.  After  the  message  was 
delivered  the  people  turned  to  the  preacher  and  said:  "Where  have 
you  been  so  long?  Why  did  you  not  tell  us  this  before?"  "I  was  in  T  Q^^ 
Siberia,"  was  the  reply.  cil  Ov 

Unparalleled  Opportunity 

Never  since  the  beginning  of  Christianity  has  such  an  immense 
population  of  our  own  white  people  become  accessible  to  missionary 
enterprise.  Our  evangelization  plan  must  embrace  not  only  the  hun- 
dred million  native  Russians,  but  also  the  six  million  Jews,  the 
twenty  million  Poles,  the  thirty  million  Ukrainians,  millions  of  Mo-  Afif-t^/o 
hammedans  (Tartars,  Kurds,  Kirghiz,  etc.),  Armenians,  Roumanians  ^  " 
and  Greeks,  and  besides  these  the  Bulgarians,  Servians,  Croatlans, 
Montenegrins  and  other  related  Slavonic  peoples. 

The  propaganda  of  atheism   and   materialism   is   already  assuming Al/)  <4'f£*/? 
awful  proportions.     There  is  no  time  to  lose.     The  Greek  Orthodox  /TTT — 
Church  is  rapidly  losing  its  grip  upon  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  '^^— Tluil^ 
before  long  large  masses  of  simple,  religiously-inclined  Russians  may  X 
be  led  astray  into  complete  infidelity.     Millions  of  the  people  are  look- 
ing for  something, different.    What  is  it  to  be?  atheism,  or  the  gospel? 
If  the  latter,  then,  because  of  existing  conditions  in  Europe,  A^mericg^  / 
must  assume  chief  responsibility  for  meeting  the  need,  else  this  great- 
est missionary  opportunity  of  the  centuries  may  be  turned  into  the 
most  abysmal  failure. 

17 


18  The  Manifesto  Calling  the  Conference 


Mr. 


The  greatest  immediate  need  is  the  printing  and  circulating  of  at 
,^  ^  least  a  million  copies  of  the  Russian  Bible,  three  million  copies  of  the 
New  Testament  and  a  large  supply  of  the  very  best  Russian  evangelical 
literature.  Then  several  hundred  evangelists,  colporteurs  and  Chris- 
^y#v"  tian  workers  must  be  trained  and  equipped  for  service  in  Russia. 
Already  one  hundred  Russians  in  America  have  offered  themselves  for 
soul-saving  service  in  their  native  land  and  are  now  in  training,  and 
there  are  also  hundreds  of  converted  and  educated  men  in  Russia  who 
have  suffered  for  their  faith  and  who  now  need  to  be  rallied  and 
encouraged. 

A  Vital  Factor 

As  a  very  vital  factor  in  the  realization  of  a  comprehensive  evangel- 
ization plan  for  Russia  we  must  immediately  undertake  the  thorough 
'  evangelization  of  the  Russian  and  other  Slavonic  people,  in  our  own 
^  country  and  Canada,  in  order  that  they  in  great  numbers,  being  con- 
verted and  trained  here,  may  return  to  their  native  lands  fully 
equipped  for  effective  service.  Last,  but  not  least,  the  united  prayers 
of  God's  people  everywhere  must  be  offered  up  in  behalf  of  these  long 
neglected  multitudes. 

We  feel  that  the  time  has  now  come  for  the  assembling  of  evangel- 
ical leaders  and  those  whose  hearts  are  moved  for  a  general  meeting 
of  prayer  and  conference.  God  seems  to  be  leading  very  definitely  in 
this  direction.  Accordingly,  we,  the  undersigned,  send  out  this  invita- 
tion to  all  who  are  stirred  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  assemble  tor  the 
First  General  Conference  in  Behalf  or  the  Evangelization  of  Russia 
to  be  held  from  June  24th  to  June  28th,  1918,  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  at 
the  Moody  Tabernacle,  corner  North  Avenue  and  North  Clark  Street. 

A  choir  of  about  fifty  students  from  the  Russian  Bible  Institute  of 
Philadelphia  are  expected  to  be  present  to  sing  their  beautiful  Russian 
hymns  during  conference  week.  Russian-speaking  and  other  Slavonic 
evangelists  and  missionary  workers  of  the  Cliicago  Tract  Society  will 
also  give  their  aid.  ■•. 

Ministers  and  friends  who  find  it  impossible  to  attend,  but  who  are 
moved  to  have  some  part  in  this  work,  are  urged  to  arrange  special 
prayer  services  during  the  conference  week,  and  all  evangelical  min- 
isters are  requested  to  preach  special  missionary  sermons  on  "Russian 
\/^}c  Mission  Sunday,"  jjune  23rd.'  Material  of  interest  in  connection  with 
the  evangelization  of  Russia,  will  be  sent  to  ministers,  Sunday-school 
superintendents  and  Bible  class  leaders  upon  application. 

Any  friends  unable  to  attend,  but  whose  hearts  are  stirred  to  take 
some  financial  part  in  this  work,  can  send  their  gifts  to  Mr.  A  M. 
Johnson  (President  of  the  National  Life  Insurance  Co.  of  the  U.  S.  A.), 
and  Treasurer  of  the  conference,  29  S.  La  Salle  St.,  Chicago,  111. 


The  Manifesto  Calling  the  Conference  19 

All  inquiries  and  communications  regarding  the  conference  should 
be  addressed  to  Rev.  Jesse  W.  Brooks  (Superintendent  of  the  Chicago 
Tract  Society),  chairman  conference  Executive  Committee,  440  S. 
Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Those  Who   Signed 

Among  the  well  known  evangelical  leaders  who  signed  this  mani- 
festo calling  the  conference  were  the  following: 

J.  Wilbur  Chapman.  Ex-Moderator  of  the  Presbyterian  General 
Assembly. 

W.  H.  Griffith  Thomas,  Toronto,  Canada. 

C.  I.  ScoFiELD,  Philadelphia,  Editor,  Scofield  Reference  Bible.  ^ 
Francis   E.   Clark,  President,   World's   Christian   Endeavor   Union,  y 

Boston. 

Cortland  Myers,  Pastor,  Tremont  Temple,  Boston. 

Charles  Gallaudet  Trumbull,  Editor,  Sunday  School  Times,  Phila- 
delphia. 

George  H.  Sandison,  Editor,  Christian  Herald,  New  York  City.  (/'^ 

Delavan  L.  Pierson,  Editor,  Missionary  Review  of  the  World,  New 
York. 

William  I.  Chamberlain,  Sec'y,  Board  Foreign  Missions,  Reformed       >/ 
Church  in  America,   and  Chairman,  Foreign  Missions  Commission   of 
Federal  Council,  Churches  of  Christ  in  America. 

Paul  Rader,  Pastor,  Moody  Church,  Chicago. 

William  I.  Haven,  Corresponding  Sec'y,  American  Bible  Society, 
New  York. 

D.  M.  Stearns,  Pastor,  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  of  Atonement, 
Germantown,  Philadelphia. 

Charles  A.  Blanchard,  President,  Wheaton  College,  Wheaton,  111. 

John  F.  Carson,  Pastor,  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y. 

R.  A.  Torrey,  Dean,  Bible  Institute,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Charles  L.  Huston,  Coatesville,  Pa. 

Joseph  M.  Steele,  Philadelphia, 

Lyman  Stewart,  President,  Bible  Institute,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

W.  A.  Harbison,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

A.  M.  Johnson,  President,  National  Insurance  Company  U.  S.  A., 
Chicago. 

W.  H.  RiDGEWAY,  Coatesville,  Pa. 

S.  D.  Gordon,  New  York. 

W.  B.  Riley,  Pastor,  First  Baptist  Church,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Austin  K.  de  Blois,  Pastor,  First  Baptist  Church,  Boston. 

William  R.  Wedderspoon,  Pastor,  St.  James  M.  E.  Church,  Chicago. 

Thomas  E.  Stephens,  Director,  Great  Commission  Prayer  League, 
Chicago. 


20  The  Manifesto  Calling  the  Conference 

A.  Z.  Conrad,  Pastor,  Park  Street  Congregational  Church,  Boston. 

S.  B.  RoHOLD,  Pastor,  Christian  Synagogue,  Toronto,  and  President 
Hebrew  Christian  Alliance  of  America. 

GusTAF  P.  Johnson,  Pastor,  Swedish  Tabernacle,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

H.  W.  Frost,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  Germantown,  Philadelphia. 

Robert  M.  Russell,  Ex-Moderator,  United  Presbyterian  General  As- 
sembly, Chicago. 

Robert  C.  McQuilken,  Cor.  Sec'y,  Victorious  Life  Conference,  Phila- 
delphia. 

J.  Frank  Norris,  Pastor,  First  Baptist  Church,  Fort  Worth,  Texas. 

Don  O.  Shelton,  President,  National  Bible  Institute,  New  York. 

Hugh  R.  Monro,  Vice-President,  Niagara  Lithograph  Company,  and 
Chairman,  Gospel  Committee  for  Work  among  War-prisoners,  New 
York. 

N.  F.  HoiJER,  for  forty  years  Missionary  in  Russia,  and  Deputy, 
Pan-Russian  Evangelical  Committee,  Chicago. 

William  Fetler,  President,  Russian  Bible  and  Educational  Institute, 
Philadelphia. 

Jesse  W.  Brooks,  Superintendent,  Chicago  Tract  Society,  Chicago. 

M.  M.  AijiAN,  Pastor,  Armenian  Evang.  Church,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Norman  H.  Camp,  Evangelist  and  Bible  Teacher,  Chicago. 

A.  E.  Thompson,  Pastor,  American  Church,  Jerusalem,  and  Chair- 
man, Palestine  Mission  of  the  C.  and  M.  A. 

Charles  B.  Althoff,  Pastor,  Lorimer  Memorial  Baptist  Church, 
Chicago. 

Lars  Gelin,  of  the  Swedish  Mission,  Chicago. 

Paul  Riley  Allen,  Pastor,  North  Shore  Congregational  Church, 
Chicago. 

Elmer  F.  Krauss,  President,  Theological  Seminary,  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  Chicago. 

W.  O.  RusTON,  Stated  Clerk,  Iowa  Presbyterian  Synod,  and  Dean, 
Dubuque  College. 

H.  J.  KuiPER,  Pastor,  Second  Christian  Reformed  Church,  Englewood, 
Chicago. 

J.  A.  Mackenzie,  of  College  Church,  Wheaton,  111. 

William  Holloway  Main,  Pastor,  First  Baptist  Church,  Chicago. 

James  A.  Burhans,  of  Burhans  and  Ellinwood,  Chicago. 

Hon.  Matthew  Mills,  Chicago. 

John  Lamar,  Pastor,  Bethany  Reformed  Church,  Chicago. 

Edward  F.  Williams,  Pres.,  Chicago  Tract  Society. 

Edwin  A.  Adams,  V.-Pres.,  Chicago  Tract  Society. 

George  L.  Robinson,  Prof.,  McCormick  Theological  Seminary,  Chi- 
cago. 

Gustav  Edvards,  Director,  Swedish  Course,  Moody  Bible  Institute, 
Chicago. 


The  Manifesto  Calling  the  Conference  21 

P.  W.  Philpott,  Pastor,  Gospel  Tabernacle,  Hamilton,  Ont. 

R,  B.  Haines,  Jr.,  Sec'y  American  Branch,  Scripture  Gift  Mission, 
Philadelphia. 

George  William  Carter,  Gen.  Sec,  New  York  Bible  Society. 

Arvid  Gordh,  Pastor,  First  Swedish  Baptist  Church,  New  York. 

N.  B.  Grubb,  Bishop,  First  Mennonite  Church,  Philadelphia. 

A.  J.  Ramsey,  Dean,  Union  Missionary  Training  Institute,  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y. 

Joshua  Oden,  Irving  Park  Swedish  Lutheran  Church,  Chicago. 

Otto  Hogfeld,  Editor,  Mission  Friend,  Chicago, 

Elof  K.  Jonson,  Pastor,  Swed.  Ev.  Luth'n  Ebenezer  Church,  Chi- 
cago. 

R.  J.  Miller,  Editor,  United  Presb.  S.  S.  Publications,  Pittsbu^gh.^/ 

Harry  Lindblom,  Pastor,  Lakeview  Swed.  Free  Church,  Chicago. 

Eric  Olson,  Missionary  Evangelist,   Chicago. 

George  W.  Taft,  Dean,  Northern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary, 
Chicago. 

Harris  H.  Gregg,  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  Canada. 

Wm.  a.  Dumont,  Pastor,  First  Ref  d  Ch.,  Coxsackie,  N.  Y. 

John  Y.  Ewart,  Pastor,  Presb.  Ch.,  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 

Adolph  Lydell,  one  time  Missionary  in  Russia,  Chicago. 

William  S.  Dodd,  formerly  of  Konia,  Asia  Minor.    Montclair,  N.  J. 

Don  S.  Colt,  Madison  Square  M.  E.  Church,  Baltimore,  Md. 

H.  W.  LoHRENZ,  Hillsboro,  Kans. 

John  R.  Davies,  Bethlehem  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Hugh  H.  Bell,  San  Francisco  Theological  Seminary,  San  Anselmo, 
Cal. 

Rev.  August  Delbon,  Pastor,  Swedish  Mission  Church,  Turlock,  Cal. 

E.  Aug.  Skogsbergh,  Pastor  emeritus,  Swedish  Tabernacle,  Minne- 
apolis, Minn. 

J.  I.  Landsman,  London,  England. 

David  MacNaughton,  Chicago. 

Julius  Rohrbach,  Chicago. 

R.  V.  Bingham,  Editor,  Evangelical  Christian,  Toronto,  Canada. 

Daniel  Hoffman  Martin,  Pastor,  Fort  Washington  Presb.  Church, 
New  York  City. 

Joseph  M.  Steele,  Philadelphia. 

David  Nyvall,  President,  North  Park  College,  Chicago. 

A.  W.  RoFFE,  Toronto,  Canada. 

James  F.  Riggs,  Jr.,  Associate  Pastor,  Lafayette  Avenue  Presb. 
Church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

A.  DeWitt  Mason,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Floyd  W.  Tomkins,  Pastor,  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  Philadelphia.  ^. 

F.  W.  Troy,  Pastor,  Sumner  Ave.  Baptist  Church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  ' 
E.  A.  Halleen,  Pres.  Swed.  Free  Church  of  America,  Rockford,  111. 


22  The  Manifesto  Calling  the  Conference 

E.  Y.  WooLLEY,  Associate  Pastor,  Moody  Church,  Chicago. 

V.  J.  Vita,  representing  Immanuel  Bohemian  Baptist  Church,  Chi- 
cago. 

John  J.   Franz,   Representing  Mennonite  Churches,  Chicago. 

Olof  Hedeen,  Pastor,  Englewood  Swedish  Baptist  Church,  Chicago. 

A.  T.  Feykman,  Pastor,  Swedish  Evang.  Mission  Church,  James- 
town, N.   Y. 

M.  A.  DE  Sherbinin,   Chicago  Tract  Society,  Chicago. 

A.   B.   Winchester,   Pastor,   Knox   Presbyterian   Church,   Toronto. 

OscAR  W.  Carlson,  Pastor,  Swedish  Cong'I  Temple,  Chicago. 

G.  K.  Stark,  Pastor,  Swed.  Evang'l  Lutheran  Church,  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 

Olof  L.  Bruce,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

A.  C.  Gaebelein,  Editor,  Our  Hope,  New  York  City. 

A.  C.  Dixon,  Pastor,  Metropolitan  Tabernacle,  London,  Eng. 


PROGRAM 


Of  the  First  General  Conference  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia 

At  the  Moody  Tabernacle,  North  Avenue  and  North  Clark  Street, 

Chicago 

June  24th  to  June  28th,  1918 

Chairman  Conference  Executive  Committee: 

Rev,  Jesse  W.  Brooks,  440  South  Dearborn  Street. 
Chairman  Entertainment  Committee: 

Rev.  E.  Y.  Woolley,  at  the  Moody  Church. 
Chairman  Committee  on  Russian  and  Slavonic  Service: 

Dr.  V.  J.  Vita. 
Chairman  Committee  on  Swedish  Night  Service: 

Rev.  Harry  Lindblom. 
Chairman  Finance  Committee  and  Treasurer: 

Mr.  A.  M.  Johnson,  President  National  Life  Insurance  Co.,  U.  S.  A., 
29  South  La  Salle  Street. 

Monday,  June  24th — Swedish  Day 

7:30  P.  M. — Rev.  Harry  Lindblom,  Presiding. 

Music    by    Swedish    Choirs    under    direction    Mr.    A.    L. 

Hvassman. 

Scripture  Reading,  Dr.  G.  E.  Gordon. 
Brief  Words  of  Greeting  by  Rev.  Jesse  W.  Brooks,  on  behalf  of 
the  Conference  Committee,  and  by  Rev.  E.  Y.  Woolley,  on  behalf 
of  the  Moody  Church. 

Address,  Rev.  Th.  Brodin. 

Address,  Rev.  E.  K.  Jonson. 

Address,  Rev.  Gustaf  F.  Johnson,  of  Minneapolis. 

Tuesday,  June  25th 

Service  of  Prayer  and  Intercession  in  Behalf  of  Russia's 

Millions. 
9:00  A.  M. — Mr.  Thomas  E.  Stephens,    (Director,  Great  Commission 

Prayer  League,)  Leader. 
10:00  A.  M. — Rev.  A.  B.  Winchester,  of  Toronto,  Leader. 
11:00  A.  M.— Rev.  Gustaf  F.  Johnson,  Leader. 

23 


24  Program 

2:30  P.  M. — Address    by    Rev.    William    Fetler,    President,    Russian 

Bible  Institute  of  Philadelphia. 
3:15  P.  M. — "Russia's    People    and    their    Neighbors,"    Prof.    M.    A. 

de  Sherbinin,  of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society. 
4:30  P.  M. — "Why   Must  America   Take   Leadership   in   Evangelizing 

Russia?"   Rev.   President   David   Nyvall,    of  North   Park 

College. 


7:30  P.  M. — "Great  Opportunity  in  Present  World  Conditions,"  Rev. 
Gustaf    F.    Johnson. 

"The  Inspiring  Vision  of  a  Regenerated  Russia,"  Rev.  A. 
B.  Winchester. 

Wednesday,  June  26th 

9:00  A.  M. — Inspirational  Hour,  Address  by  Rev.  A.  B.  Winchester. 

10:00  A.  M. — "The  Bogoiskateli,  or  Seekers  after  God  in  Russia,"  Rev. 
I.  V.  Neprash,  Dean  Russian  Bible  Institute  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

11:00  A.  M. — "What  Has  Been  Done  to  Evangelize  Russia,"  Rev. 
Charles  A.  Blanchard,  President  of  Wheaton  College. 


2:30  P.  M.— "What  Is  Done  for  These  People  and  Their  Neighbors 
Now  in  America,"  Rev.  Jesse  W.  Brooks,  Superintendent 
of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society,  presiding. 

(a)  The  Poles  from  Russia,  Mr,  Constantine  Antoszew- 

ski,  of  Chicago. 

(b)  The    Poles    from    Austria,    Rev.    Paul    Kozielek,    of 

Detroit. 

(c)  The   Bulgarians,   Mr.   Andrew   Todoroff,   of   Chicago. 

(d)  The    Bohemians,    Rev.    Vaclav    Hlavaty,    of    Cedar 

Rapids. 

(e)  The  Greeks,  Rev.  C.  T.  Papadopoulos,  of  Chicago. 

(f )  The  Armenians,  Rev.  M.  M.  Aijian,  of  Detroit. 


7:30  P.  M. — Scripture    reading    and    prayer,    Rev.    H.    A.    Berlis,    of 
Toronto. 

Statement  regarding  organization  and  reading  of  mes- 
sage of  greeting  to  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
the  Chairman. 

"A  Great  Missionary  Program  for  Russia,"  Rev.  William 
Fetler. 


Program  25 

Thursday,  June  27th 

9:00  A.  M. — "The  Holy  Spirit  in  Missions,"  Rev.  William  Fetler. 
10:00  A.  M.— "A  Plea  for  the  Six  Million  Jews  in  Russia,"  Rev.  S.  B. 

Rohold,  of  Toronto,  President  of  the  Hebrew  Christian 

Alliance  of  America. 
11:00  A.  M. — "The   Russian    Orthodox    Church,"   Rev.    Dr.   Robert   M. 

Russell. 


2:30  P.  M. — "Forty  Years  in  Russia,"  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer,  Deputy  Pan- 
Russian  Evangelical  Committee. 
3:30  P.  M.— Open  Conference. 


7:30  P.  M. — Scripture   reading  and   prayer  by  Rev.   L.  E.   Ost,   Mis- 
sionary to  Alaska. 

"Among  Mohammedans  and  Kurds  at  Ararat,"  Rev.  N.  F. 
Hoijer. 

"America's  Opportunity  in  Russia,"  Rev.  James  M.  Gray, 
Dean  of  the  Moody  Bible  Institute. 

"A  Concerted  Movement  for  Russia's  Evangelization," 
Rev.  William  R.  Wedderspoon,  Pastor  St.  James  M.  E. 
Church,  Chicago. 

Closing  Prayer,  by  Mr.  J.  Alex.  MacKenzie  of  Wheaton 
College  Church. 

Friday,  June  28th 

9:00  A.  M. — "Prophecy    and    Present    Day    Events,"   Rev.    Robert   M. 
Russell. 
10:00  A.  M. — A  Symposium — "The  Practicability  of  Reaching  the  Rus- 
sian   and    Slavonic    Peoples    of    Europe    Through    Their 
Brothers  Now  in  the  United  States  and  Canada." 

2:30  P.  M.— Prayer,  by  Rev.  John  W.  Elliott  of  Chicago. 

"The  Bible,  Prophecy  and  the  War,"  Dr.  James  M.  Gray. 
The  Consideration  of  the  Russian  Greek  Church,  Brief 
Addresses  and  Testimonies  by  Rev.  Elias  Newman  of  the 
Chicago  Hebrew  Mission;  Rev.  Henry  Singer,  of  Toronto, 
and  others. 

Closing  prayer  by  Rev.  Julius  Rohrbach,  formerly  of 
Berlin,  Germany,  now  of  Chicago. 


7:30  P.  M.— Meeting  of  the  Slavonic  People  of  Chicago. 

Music  by  the  Tabernacle  Choir  and  the  Russian   Bible 
Institute  Choir. 


26  Program 

Address,  Rev.  E.  Y.  Woolley  of  the  Moody  Church. 
Short  addresses  in  Russian  and  other  Slavonic  languages. 
Mr.  Constantine  Antoszewski,  Prof.  M.  A.  de  Sherbinin, 
Prof.    J.   J.    Vince,   Rev.   V.   Hlad,    Rev.   I.   V.    Neprash, 
Dr.  V.  J.  Vita. 
Closing  address  by  Rev.  William  Fetler  of  Philadelphia. 


Throughout  the  Conference  music  was  furnisihed  by  the  choir  of  the  Russian  Bible 
Institute  of  Philadelphia,  and  general  assistance  was  rendered  by  thel  missionaries  of 
the  Chicago  Tract  Society. 

On  Wednesday,  and  again  on  Friday  evening,  the  Moody  Church  Choir  of  three 
hundred  voices,  Mr,  Arthur  W.  McKee,  leader,  and  tihe  Moody  Church  Band,  led  by 
Mr.  R,  J.  Oliver,  furnished  the  mvisic. 


THE  OPENING  SERVICE 

THE  opening  service  of  the  great  conference,  occurring  on  Swedish 
Day,  was  appropriately  given  over  to  the  Swedish  churches  of 
Chicago.  Inasmuch  as  the  churches  of  Sweden  were  the  first 
to  send  missionaries  to  Russia,  their  great  neighbor  land  on  the  east, 
it  seemed  fitting  to  the  Committee  that  the  Swedish  churches  of  Chi- 
cago should  have  first  opportunity  of  expressing  their  interest  in 
Russia's  evangelization. 

The  Tabernacle  was  packed  almost  to  its  full  capacity  (there  were  y/ 
between  four  and  five  thousand  present),  when  Rev.  Harry  Lindblom, 
acting  as  chairman  of  this  meeting,  arose  and  announced  the  hymn, 
"A  Mighty  Fortress  is  Our  God."  One  of  the  Swedish  periodicals  of 
Chicago  commented  as  follows:  "This  powerful  old  hymn  resounded 
in  the  Tabernacle  as  if  it  were  sung  at  a  mass  meeting  in  Dalarne 
Province  in  Sweden."  gr.  G.  E.  Gordon,  representing  the  Methodists, 
read  the  tenth  chapter  of  Romans,  after  which  a  united  choir,  under 
the  leadership  of  A.  L.  Hvassman,  sang. 

After  short  addresses  by  Rev.  Jesse  W.  Brooks,  Chairman  of  the 
Conference  Executive  Committee,  and  Rev.  E.  Y.  Woolley,  representing 
the  Moody  Church,  Rev.  C.  Theo.  Brodin,  of  the  Edgewater  Baptist 
Church,  gave  a  powerful  missionary  address.  He  said  that  God  was 
now  mobilizing  His  armies  for  work  in  Russia.  We  must  keep  the 
fires  burning  at  home.  The  message  which  we  carry  is  one  of  urgency 
for  it  is  a  greeting  of  grace  and  peace. 

The  next  speaker  was  Rev.  Elof  K.  Jonson,  of  Ebenezer  Lutheran 
Church.  He  urged  that  we  should  make  our  attack  upon  Russia  not 
after  the  manner  of  Charles  XII,  but  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  order  to  bring  salvation  to  the  people.  He  said:  "The  Russian 
students  from  Philadelphia  have  won  my  heart  with  their  simplicity 
and  sincerity."  He  also  eulogized  the  work  in  which  the  Rev.  N.  F. 
Hoijer  has  been  engaged  for  nearly  forty  years  in  Russia.  He  held 
up  the  love  of  Christ  as  the  great  constraining  power,  according  to 
the  testimony  of  Paul,  and  urged:  "If  the  love  of  Christ  has  become  the 
ruling  factor  in  our  hearts,  then  Paul's  testimony  is  our  testimony 
also.  God  grant  that  it  may  be!  We  have  the  power  of  Christ  at 
our  disposal.  He  has  commanded  us  and  also  given  us  the  promise 
of  success.  Let  us  not  be  doubtful  in  the  face  of  the  great  task,  for  / 
He  is  with  us  alway.  Russia  is  the  highway  of  the  nations.  Her  / 
people  must  have  the  Gospel,  for  their  hearts  are  open  and  yearning 
for  it.  They  will  be  of  inestimable  value,  in  the  future  to  the  cause 
of  Christ,  if  we  heed  their  present  cry.  Oh,  if  every  Christian  in  this 
land  of  privilege  would  awake  and  work  and  pray  for  the  salvation 

27 


28  The  Opening  Service 


C 


of  those  many  millions!  AH  the  powers  of  evil  are  gathering  their 
forces  of  superstition,  ignorance,  false  doctrine,  and  infidelity  to  over- 
come the  people.  They  are  fiercely  astir  and  they  are  not  counting 
the  cost.  What  a  shame,  if  we  should  sluggishly  allow  this  golden 
opportunity  to  pass!  Ours  would  be  the  full  responsibility  of  un- 
speakable loss  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  That  no  such  calamity  may 
occur,  let  us  earnestly  hope  and  pray!  Let  us  remember  in  our 
prayers  the  good  leaders  of  this  great  movement,  that  they  may  be 
filled  with  courage  and  the  sure  hope  of  accomplishing  the  great  work; 
and  may  the  work  be  enlarged  both  in  numbers  and  in  the  intensity 
of  true  missionary  spirit!" 

The  last  speaker  was  the  Rev.  Gust.  F.  Johnson,  of  Minneapolis.  He 
captured  the  audience  from  the  very  beginning  with  one  of  those  elo- 
quent and  convincing  speeches  which  have  given  him  his  great  repu- 
tation.    His  theme  was  "Will  a  Man  Rob  God?"  (Mai.  3:8). 

During  the  meeting  the  student  choir  of  the  Russian  Bible  Institute 
sang  under  the  leadership  of  their  president.  Pastor  William  Fetler. 
The  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  offered  the  closing  prayer  and  dismissed  the 
mid-summer  day  congregation  with  the  benediction. 

The  Swedish  Standard  of  Chicago,  speaking  of  this  meeting,  said: 
"It  was  an  imposing  scene  to  witness  such  numbers  of  Swedish  people 
gathered  together  with  the  one  purpose,  the  evangelization  of  Russia, 
for  which  a  warm  interest  is  now  manifest  in  our  country  among  all 
evangelical  churches." 


BRIEF  WORD  OF  GREETING  BY  THE 
CHAIRMAN 

REV.  JESSE  W.  BROOKS 

THIS  meeting  tonight  is  in  itself  a  great  answer  to  prayer. 
We   call  this   "The  First  General  Conference  for  the  Evan- 
gelization of  Russia,"  but  this  is  not  the  first  effort  that  has 
been  made  to  have  such  a  conference. 

Away  back  in  1884,  in  the  city  of  Petrograd,  a  similar  conference 
was  called  by  two  Russian  noblemen.  A  large  number  of  people  as- 
sembled. Different  denominations  were  represented,  just  as  they  are 
here  tonight.  At  least  three  or  four  different  countries  were  repre- 
sented, just  as  they  are  here  tonight.  There  were  at  least  two  mis- 
sionaries present  at  that  first  conference  in  Petrograd,  who  are  to  be 
with  us  now  in  our  Chicago  conference.  And  those  early  leaders  were 
stirred  with  the  same  high  purpose,  the  same  ideals  of  service,  that 
stir  us. 

But  suddenly  the  Russian  spies  were  at  work.  The  powers  of  both 
Church  and  State  combined,  and  the  conference  was  ended  abruptly. 
Its  leaders  were  arrested,  some  were  imprisoned  and  some  exiled.  And 
then  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  among  the  innumerable  exiles  to  Si- 
beria, there  were  more  than  a  thousand,  we  are  told,  who  had  com- 
mitted no  other  crime  than  that  of  attempting  to  proclaim  to  the 
people  the  unsearchable  riches  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

But  old  things  have  passed  away.  We  are  living,  thank  God.  in  a 
land  of  liberty  and  this  liberty  is  something  which  we  want  to  share 
with  the  people  of  Russia.  President  Wilson  wants  to  share  political 
liberty  with  the  people  of  Russia  and  we  as  American  Christians  want 
to^  share  spiritual  liberty  with  them;  and  it  is  fitting  that  now,  in 
1918,  we  should  be  gathered,  not  in  the  capital  city  of  Russia,  but  in 
this  gFeatest  Russian  and  Slavonic  city  of  America,  and  that  we  should 
be^"  gathered  here  to  dedicate  ourselves  to  the  work  of  giving  the 
Gospel  to  our  unfortunate  brothers  across  the  sea. 

An  Appeal  for  Unity 

I  have  referred  to  the  conference  of  1884  that  was  called  in  Petro- 
grad, and  in  opening  this  conference  in  Chicago  I  want  to  reiterate, 
and  make  our  own,  the  appeal  of  that  early  conference,  in  the  very 
words  of  the  leaders  of  that  conference:  "Remember,  brethren,  that 
Christ  died  that  He  might  gather  in  one  the  children  of  God  who  are 

29 


30  Brief  Word  of  Greeting  hy  the  Chairman 

scattered  abroad  and  present  them  as  one  flock  with  one  Shepherd. 
May  the  Lord  gather  us  around  Him;  to  teach  us  to  work  in  the  unity 
of  the  Spirit  and  the  bond  of  peace  for  better  understanding  and  for 
unity  of  all  evangelical  churches  in  Russia,  in  love  and  in  peace,  in 
order  to  form  one  Russian  evangelical  free  church." 

Xhis.  conference  is  exceedingly  j  composite.  Great  interests  are  at 
stake.  May  there  be  a  great  spirit  of  loyalty  to  our  Lord  and  a  great 
spirit  of  forbearance  and  love  among  the  brethren. 

In  behalf  of  the  Committee  I  bid  you  all  hearty  welcome.  Bring 
your  friends!  So  far  as  possible,  attend  every  session!  Our  names 
may  soon  be  forgotten,  but  the  work  we  are  to  do  here,  nay,  the  work 
that  God  is  to  do  in  this  conference,  will  be  remembered  for  all  time 
to  come. 

It  is  peculiarly  fitting  that  this,  our  first  session,  should  be  given 
over  to  you,  brethren,  of  the  Swedisli„churches.  We  welcome  you  as 
our  leaders.  You  have  done  the  pioneer  work  in  evangelizing  Russia, 
and  it  is  onily  fair  that  we  should  ask  you  to  take  the  lead  and 
to  teach  us  in  the  matter  of  planning,  and  in  the  matter  of  giving,  as 
we  enter  upon  our  great  undertaking.  And  now,  in  humble  dependence 
upon  our  Great  Commander,  we  look  up,  and  "Unto  Him  that  is  able 
to  keep  us  from  stumbling,  and  to  present  us  faultless  before  the 
presence  of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy,  to  the  only  wise  God  our 
Saviour,  be  glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and  power,  now  and  ever. 
Amen." 


Note.  Rev.  Paul  Rader  was  unexpectedly  and  unavoidably  prevented 
from  attending-  the  conference.  His  place  was  filled,  however,  by  the 
Rev.  E.  Y.  Woolley,  Associate  Pastor,  who  also  gave  warm  words  of 
welcome,  and  extended  heartiest  greetings  to  the  conference,  in  behalf 
of  the  Moody  Church. 


THE  PRAYER  LEAGUE  AND  THE 
CONFERENCE 

THE  opening  hour  on  Tuesday  morning  was  conducted  by  Mr. 
Thomas  E.  Stephens,  of  the  Great  Commission  Prayer  League. 
A  half  hour  before  the  time  to  begin  those  present  went  to 
their  knees  and  remained  prostrate  before  God  until  within  ten  min- 
utes of  the  close  of  the  hour.  There  were  about  one  hundred  present 
during  this  time  of  intercession.  Mr,  Stephens  said:  "It  will  be  a 
memorable  hour  in  the  history  of  Russia  if  we  pray  as  the  Holy  Ghost 
would  have  us  pray.  The  souls  of  182,000,000  people  hang,  to  a  large 
extent,  in  the  balance,  depending  in  part  on  the  prayers  of  this  hour." 
The  League  used  the  following  blackboard  diagram,  conspicuously  ex- 
hibited on  the  platform,  to  show  the  need  of  prayer: 

"Draw  Nijih  to  God" — in  Behalf  of  Russia 

"Look"    (John    4:35)  "Pray"  (Luke  10:  2) 

"The  Jew  first" — one  Jew  in  every  1.  For    this    Conference,    that    the 

two    in    the    world    is    in    Russia.  Holy     Spirit     may     fill     every 

"And    also    the    Greek" — 75,000,000  speaker    and    hearer. 

Greek    Catholics   in    Russia.  2.  For     the     182,000,000     people     of 

One    person    in    every    nine    in    the  Russia. 

world    is    in    Russia:  3.  For  the  1,500,000  Russians  in  the 

Of  whom —  United    States. 

7,000,000  are  in  Siberia.  4.  For     Pastor     Fetler's     work     in 

75,000,000  are  Greek  Catholics.  Philadelphia    and    Russia. 

12,000,000  are  Roman  Catholics.  5.  For    Dr.     Brooks'    work    among 

14,000,000  are  Mohammedans.  the  30,000  Russians  in  Chicag-o. 

Only  4,500,000  are  Protestants.  6.  For    the   fifty    Russian    students 

who  are   with   us   from  Phila- 
delphia. 

It  would  be  dishonoring  to  God  if  we  should  overlook  this  quiet  but 
very  important  part  of  the  conference  program.  Mr.  Stephens  recalled 
the  following  incident  in  connection  with  the  experience  of  the  founder 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission: 

One  of  Hudson  Taylor's  Helpers 

A  young  man  had  been  called  to  the  foreign  field.  He  had  not  been 
in  the  habit  of  preaching,  but  he  knew  one  thing,  how  to  prevail  with 
God;  and  going  one  day  to  a  friend  he  said:  "I  don't  see  how  God 
can  use  me  on  the  field.  I  have  no  special  talent."  His  friend  said: 
"My  brother,  God  wants  men  on  the  field,  who  can  pray.  There  are 
too  many  preachers  now  and  too  few  pray-ers."  He  went.  In  his 
own  room  in  the  early  dawn  a  voice  was  heard  weeping  and  pleading 
for  souls.     All  through  the  day,  the  shut  door  and  the  hush  that  pre- 

31 


32  The  Prayer  League  and  the  Conference 

vailed  made  you  feel  like  walking  softly,  for  a  soul  was  wrestling  with 
God. 

To  this  home,  hungry  souls  would  flock,  drawn  by  some  irresistible 
power.  In  the  morning  hours  some  would  call  and  say:  "I  have  gone 
by  your  home  so  many  times  and  have  longed  to  come  in.  Will  you 
tell  me  how  I  can  be  saved?"  Or,  from  some  distant  place  another 
would  call  saying:  "I  heard  you  would  tell  us  here  how  we  might  find 
heart-rest." 

In  the  secret  chamber,  lost  souls  were  pleaded  for  and  claimed.  The 
Holy  Ghost  knew  just  where  they  were  and  sent  them  along.  Mark 
this:  If  all  who  read  these  lines  would  thus  lay  hold  upon  God,  with 
the  holy  violence  and  unconquerable  persistence  of  faith-filled  prayer,  a 
good  many  things  would  give  way,  against  which  we  have  been  beating 
with  our  puny  human  wisdom  and  power  in  vain.  The  prayer-power  has 
never  teen  tried  to  its  full  capacity  in  any  church.  If  we  want  to  see 
mighty  wonders  of  Divine  grace  and  power  wrought,  in  the  place  of 
weakness,  failure  and  disappointment,  let  the  whole  church  answer 
God's  standing  challenge:  Call  unto  Me,  and  I  will  answer  thee,  and 
will  show  thee  great  and  mighty  things  which  thou  knowest  not.'* 
(Jer.  33:3).  Oh  that  God  would  give  such  a  spirit  of  prayer  in  behalf 
of  Russia! 


A  QUIET  HOUR  ADDRESS 

By  REV.  A.  B.  WINCHESTER  of  Toronto 

I  FEEL  that  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  very  great  and  unprecedented 
movement.  I  feel  that  God  is  preparing  a  people  to  do  something  in- 
conceivably great,  and  I  believe  that  if  we  are  to  have  the  great  joy 
and  exalted  privilege  of  being  coworkers  with  God  in  this  mighty 
movement,  there  are  some  things  necessary  first.  I  do  not  know  that 
there  is  anything  so  important  as  just  to  get  a  little  of  the  Word  be- 
fore us.  Turn  with  me  to  the  first  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Colos- 
sians.  I  am  going  to  read  from  Conybeare's  translation,  which  I  think 
is  a  very  good  one;  but  you  will  be  able  to  compare  it,  those  of  you 
who  have  the  Revised,  or  the  Swedish,  or  the  Authorized,  or  any 
other  version.  We  will  just  read  a  part  of  this  first  chapter.  "Paul, 
an  apostle."  A  sent  one.  Our  Lord  Jesus  is  the  great  Apostle,  the 
sent  One  whom  we  are  to  consider.  "Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ 
by  the  will  of  God."  Underscore  in  your  mind  that  word  "will."  "And 
Timotheus  the  brother."  Not  "our  brother,"  but  "the  brother."  There 
is  something  very  sweet  about  that  article,  but  I  have  not  time  to  stop 
on  that.  "Timotheus  the  brother."  "To  the  holy  and  faithful  breth- 
ren." Who  are  the  holy,  and  who  are  the  faithful?  I  saw  the  other 
day  a  great  section  of  a  paper  devoted  to  the  will  of  a  man  who  had 
died  and  left  a  very  large  amount.  Of  course,  all  he  had  he  had  to 
leave.  Probably  he  would  not  have  left  it  if  he  could  have  helped  it. 
However,  there  was  a  long  list  of  beneficiaries.  Did  I  spend  much 
time  looking  down  over  that  list?  No.  Why?  Because  I  was  not 
interested,  except  to  feel  sorry  that  the  man  had  died  not  knowing  the 
Lord  Jesus.  But  I  was  interested,  because  I  was  not  one  of  those  ad- 
dressed, so  I  put  it  aside.  Now  in  every  single  instance  where  we 
come  to  look  at  something  earnestly,  we  want  to  know  if  it  is  for  us. 
If  I  ask  you,  all  of  you.  Who  are  "holy  and  faithful  brethren"  (and 
that,  of  course,  includes  sisters),  all  of  you  who  deem  you  are  "holy 
and  faithful,"  to  please  manifest  by  standing,  I  wonder  how  many 
would  stand.  And  yet  every  Christian  without  exception,  without  any 
reference  to  his  state  at  all,  every  Christian  is  included  in  that.  Why? 
There  is  none  holy.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  one  holy  in  the  sense 
of  complete  eradication  of  sin,  not  one;  but  every  one  in  Christ,  en- 
sphered in  Him,  is  holy  with  His  holiness.  So,  "To  the  holy  and 
faithful  brethren  in  Christ  who  are  at  Colossse." 

33 


34  A  Quiet  Hour  Address 

Holiness  at  Colossse 

"BrethreD,  being  holy,  in  Colossse!"  That  is  a  tremendous  thing,  for 
Colossae  was  a  moral  sewer  for  that  section  of  Asia  Minor;  and  yet 
there  were  holy  brethren  there.  "Grace  to  you  and  peace  from  God 
our  Father.  I  give  continual  thanks  to  God  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  in  my  prayers  for  you,  since  I  heard  of  your  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  your  love  to  all  the  saints,  because  of  the  hope  laid  up 
for  you  in  the  heavens,  whereof  you  heard  the  promise  in  the  truthful 
Word  of  the  Glad  Tidings."  As  I  lay  awake  this  morning  before  day- 
break, those  three  things  were  deeply  impressed  upon  my  mind  and 
heart.  The  Lord  seemed  to  say,  "Voice  these  in  their  order — faith, 
love,  hope;  past,  present,  future."  "Faith"  rooted  in  God,  "love"  to 
the  brethren,  "hope"  concerning  the  glorious  reward.  This  morning 
I  want  to  have  this  faith  emphasized.  But  in  order  to  have  faith  em- 
phasized, I  want  to  have  the  object  of  faith,  so  to  speak,  visualized; 
that  there  may  be  a  vision  of  God,  apart  from  which  vision  there  is 
no  possibility  of  any  greatness,  either  in  character  or  service.  We 
must  be  sm'e  of  God,  and  we  must  see  Him  as  He  is  manifested  in 
Jesus  Christ.  The  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  the  love  of  the  saints,  and 
the  hope  laid  up  for  you.  Mark  here,  just  the  fitness  of  this  wonder- 
ful word,  "the  hope  laid  up  for  you."  You  would  not  find  that  word 
in  Ephesians,  and  yet  Ephesians,  Colossians  and  Philippians,  those 
three  prison  epistles,  they  came  from  the  same  burning  heart  of  that 
man  who  was  indwelt  by  the  Spirit  of  God;  and  that,  in  larger  meas- 
ure than  most  men.  They  came  forth  from  that  prison  to  be  a  light 
unto  the  Gentiles.  But  he  says  here  concerning  these  Colossians  that 
they  have  a  "hope  laid  up."  If  he  were  writing  to  the  Ephesians,  he 
would  say,  "Oh,  no,  there  is  no  hope  laid  up  for  you.  You  are  in  the 
heavenlies  now.    You  are  conceived  as  being  there  with  Him." 

Because  the  message  to  the  Ephesians  is  the  message  of  the  fulness 
of  the  body  of  Christ;  and  the  message  to  the  Colossians  is  the  worthi- 
ness of  the  Head  of  the  Body.  And  so  the  hope  is  laid  up  in  heaven. 
When  you  come  to  Philippians  again  it  is  the  one  object  of  faith  and 
love  for  the — ^if  we  may  use  the  word  now  for  a  moment, — for  the 
coming  of  Jesus  Christ.  "And  I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  ex- 
cellency of  the  knowledge  of  Christ";  so  that  the  hope  laid  up  for  us 
in  the  heavens  is  Christ;  and  this  whole  message  is  the  setting  forth 
of  Christ  and  His  will. 

Great  Occasion  for  Prayer 

1  asked  you  to  underscore  the  word  at  the  beginning  about  the  will 
of  God,  and  here  we  are  to  learn  more  about  the  will  of  Christ.  "Which 
is  come  to  you,  as  it  is  through  all  the  world;  and  everywhere  it  bears 


Rev.  A.  B.  Winchester  35 

fruit  and  grows,  as  it  does  also  among  you,  since  the  day  when  first 
you  heard  it,  and  learned  to  know  truly  the  grace  of  God.  And  thxis 
you  were  taught  by  Epaphras,  my  beloved  fellow-bondsman,  who  is  a 
faithful  servant  of  Christ  on  your  behalf.  And  it  is  he  who  has  de- 
clared to  me  your  love  for  me  in  the  Spirit.  Wherefore  I  also,  since 
the  day  wh6n  first  I  heard  it,  cease  not  to  pray  for  you."  Now  that  is 
not  just  the  way  that  we  speak  about  things  of  that  class.  We  would 
say,  "Since  we  heard  of  the  awful  darkness  of  those  in  the  heart  of 
Africa  and  India,  we  have  begun  to  pray  for  them."  But  the  Apostle 
says,  "Since  I  heard  of  what  you  have  in  Christ,  since  I  heard  of  your 
increase  in  spiritual  treasure,  since  I  heard  of  your  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  Christ,  since  I  heard  of  your  love  to  all  the  saints,  I  just 
couldn't  help  but  pray  for  you." 

Beloved,  since  I  have  had  Russia  on  my  heart  and  mind  for  many 
months,  and  since  I  have  been  thinking  of  many  there  who  struggle 
under  the  guidance  of  God's  Holy  Spirit  and  are  coming  slowly  into 
the  light,  coming  into  the  light  that  has  been  kept  from  them  by 
forms  of  Christianity  which  somehow  were  obscuring  rather  than  re- 
vealing, I  have  prayed  with  greater  devotion  than  ever. 

"Wherefore  I  also,  since  the  day  when  first  I  heard  it,  cease  not  to 
pray  for  you,  and  to  ask  of  God  that  you  may  fully  attain  to  the 
knowledge  of  His  will."  That  is  the  first  thing.  "That  ye  may  fully 
attain."  Not  merely  to  have  some  little  knowledge,  but  full  knowledge, 
of  His  will.  Everything  depends  upon  that,  beloved.  What  is  the  use 
in  any  of  us  who  do  not  know  what  a  moment  or  what  an  hour  is  to 
bring  forth,  making  plans,  if  these  plans  are  not  in  harmony  with 
the  will  of  God?    Get  to  know  His  will. 

The  second  thing.  "In  all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding." 
Wisdom  is  adaptation  of  knowledge  to  worthy  ends.  Spiritual  under- 
standing is  a  different  understanding  from  academic  understanding. 
You  may  get  a  man  trained  in  our  universities  and  colleges  so  that 
his  mind  is  most  efficient  for  all  rational  purposes;  you  may  have  all 
that  and  still  have  a  man  absolutely  devoid  of  spiritual  understanding. 
I  don't  want  to  stop  on  that.  You  know  First  Corinthians,  the  second 
chapter,  tells  the  whole  thing.  The  natural  man  cannot  understand 
the  things  of  God,  simply  cannot  until  he  is  born  again  (1  Cor.  2:13,  14). 

The  third  thing  is,  "That  ye  may  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord."  We 
all  want  to  try  and  do  the  best  we  can, — ^that's  what  the  world  says. 
"To  walk  worthy  and  be  worthy"  of  what?  "Of  Him."  "To  walk 
worthy  of  the  Lord,  to  please  Him  in  all  things."  Who  is  adequate 
to  that?  The  person  who  thinks  he  is,  or  she  is,  is  certainly  written 
down  by  that  very  act,  as  being  utterly  blind.  We  must  have  the 
Spirit  of  God  before  we  can  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord. 

Then  the  fourth  thing,  "That  ye  may  bear  fruit  in  all  good  works." 
I  must  not  stop  on  this.     Fifth,  "And  grow  continually  in  the  knowl- 


36  A  Quiet  Hour  Address 

edge  of  God."  Mark  you!  The  first  petition  asks  that  we  may  fully 
attain  to  the  knowledge  of  His  ivill,  but  this  is  different  It  is  the 
knowledge  of  Him.  That  is  a  very  different  thing.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  knowing  what  His  purpose  is,  but  there  is  another  thing, 
knowing  Himself;  and  the  will  of  God  can  exercise  no  power,  no  in- 
fluence over  one  who  does  not  know  Him.  You  cannot  know  His 
will  apart  from  that.  And  sixth,  "That  ye  may  be  strengthened  to  the 
uttermost  in  the  strength  of  His  glorious  power."  Isn't  that  wonder- 
ful? He  prays  that  for  those  men  living  in  Colossse,  surrounded  by 
everything  that  is  frigid,  everything  cold  and  foreign  in  the  spiritual 
world, — and  yet  he  prays  for  them;  that  they  may  be  strengthened  to 
the  uttermost  in  the  strength  of  His  glorious  power.  And  then,  sev- 
enth, what  for?  What  does  he  want  them  to  be  strengthened  for? 
Please  mark  this,  because  it  is  contrary  to  most  of  our  thinking.  "To 
bear  all  sufferings."  Strengthened  with  all  the  might  of  God,  not  to 
go  out  and  fight,  not  to  do  some  mighty  deed  as  men  count,  but  to 
endure.  That  means  to  be  patient,  and  it  means  more.  The  word 
translated  patience  so  often  in  the  Scriptures,  as  in  the  tenth  of 
Hebrews,  for  example,  means  more  than  merely  enduring.  "To  bear 
all  sufferings  with  steadfastness  and  with  joy."  Oh,  the  linking  up  of 
these  two  things  together!  How  precious  it  is!  And  then,  eighth, 
"Giving  thanks  to  the  Father  who  has  fitted  us  to  share  the  portion 
of  the  saints  in  the  light."  What  a  prayer  that  is!  Who  can  attain 
to  it? 

But  now  I  just  want  to  come  back  again,  and,  without  trying  to 
cover  this  prayer  in  any  sense,  to  just  get  the  first  thing.  That  we 
might  have,  first,  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  second,  the  knowledge  of 
His  will. 

Zeal  and  Enthusiasm  Not  Sufficient 

My  dear  friends,  if  what  was  said  at  the  beginning  is  true,  then 
what  I  trust  will  by  the  grace  and  power  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit  be 
launched  and  inaugurated,  the  movement  toward  so  large  a  portion 
of  the  world's  population  that  for  the  first  time  are  really  accessible, 
if,  as  I  said,  it  is  a  movement  of  unprecedented  vastitude  and  greatness 
of  opportunity,  be  sure  of  this,  that  those  who  rush  in  today  and 
think  they  are  themselves  able,  and  say,  "Come  on,  come  on,  we  can 
do  it" — they  have  already  written  across  them,  "Defeat."  No  doubt 
about  that. 

I  wonder  if  those  of  you  who  are  reading  a  good  many  books  have 
not  noticed  one  thing,  that  some  of  the  beginnings  of  the  books  are  full 
of  enthusiasm  and  the  sentences  seem  to  come  quickly  and  the  thought 
seems  so  clear,  but  toward  the  end  of  the  book,  somehow,  the  thing 
lags;  and  you  wish  the  man  had  known  when  he  really  was  through. 


Eev.  A.  B.  Winchester  37 

He  had  gotten  tired,  he  had  gotten  weary,  he  was  not  able  to  finish 
in  the  same  way  he  began;  and  so  it  is  with  a  great  many  of  the 
things  men  undertake.  I  am  always  afraid  of  the  launching  of  a 
great  movement,  when  I  see  something  of  man  thrust  forth,  and  we 
say,  "Oh,  there  is  a  Christian  man,  and  there  is  a  great  man, — and  the 
thing  is  going."  I  am  always  afraid.  "Have  you  not  known,  have 
you  not  heard  that  the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the  Creator  of  the 
earth  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary?"  In  that  fortieth  chapter  of 
Isaiah,  three  times  the  words  "faint"  and  "weary"  are  brought  into 
marvelous  juxtaposition.  The  first  time  it  is  declared  that  God  never 
gets  weary,  never  is  faint.  The  second  time,  the  youths,  even  the 
youths, — and  the  term  is  a  military  one, — the  picked  men  of  a  regi- 
ment, the  men  who  have  resistance,  the  men  whose  step  is  as  elastic 
as  that  of  the  deer,  the  youths  shall  faint  and  be  weary,  and  the  young 
men  shall  utterly  fall.  But  then  in  the  last  verse  it  says,  "But  they 
that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength."  They  shall  ex- 
change their  strength — the  earthly  for  the  heavenly,  the  human  for 
the  divine,  weakness  for  power.  They  shall  exchange  their  strength. 
And  what  happens?  Then  the  wearied  and  fainting  man  shall  be 
possessed  of  the  unweariedness  and  unfaintingness  of  God. 

The  Need  of  Divine  Power 

This  movement  or  any  movement  in  which  any  of  us  may  be  en- 
gaged will  utterly  fail,  if  self  come  in;  and  that  is  what  these  prayer 
services  are  for.  Unless  we  get  the  power  of  God,  we  shall  all  be 
failures.  Three  times  our  Lord  uses  the  words,  "I  will";  and  in  these 
three  times  there  is  a  revelation  of  Himself  not  only,  but  of  His  pur- 
pose for  us.  We  are  weak  not  only  but  we  are  powerless  for  service. 
We  need  to  know  Him  whose  we  are  and  whom  we  serve.  We  need 
to  know  Him.  So  He  says  in  Matthew  8:3  to  the  poor  leper  who  came 
saying,  "If  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean," — "I  will,  be  thou 
clean."  0  beloved,  anyone  that  will  be  used  of  God  for  His  service 
must  hear  the  "I  will,  be  thou  clean."  Be  ye  clean,  ye  that  bear  the 
vessels  of  the  Lord.  He  will  not  use  a  filthy  or  unclean  vessel.  We 
must  be  cleansed.  There  is  no  use  talking  about  plans  until  we  come 
again  to  Him  to  be  washed  as  to  our  feet.  I  am  speaking  to  regener- 
ated people.  I  suppose  I  have  no  others  here.  I  hope  that  every  one 
of  us  is  surely  sheltered  under  the  blood,  quickened  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  therefore  to  you  I  say,  we  need  to  be  washed  as  to  our  feet.  Of 
course  we  all  know  that.  That  is  so  trite  that  it  seems  almost  as  if 
it  required  an  apology  for  mentioning  it.  Is  it?  I  don't  know  anything 
that  needs  to  be  spoken  more,  I  don't  know  anything  I  need  to  hear 
day  by  day,  anything  that  the  best  of  those  who  live  closest  to  the 


38  A  Quiet  Hour  Address 

Lord  need  to  hear  more  than  that.  Do  not  let  us  rush  to  any  service 
for  Him  until,  like  the  priests  at  the  laver,  we  are  first  washed  every 
whit  and  have  the  cleansed  white  garments  for  this  service.  "I  will, 
be  thou  clean." 

Complete  Surrender 

Then  in  Matthew  20:15,  you  remember  how  our  blessed  Lord  says, 
"Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will  with  mine  own?  What  I 
have  is  mine  own/'  Here  is  the  question:  Are  you  His?  "Oh  cer- 
tainly!" We  all  recognize  that.  Well,  was  it  yesterday,  or  last  week, 
or  last  year,  that  something  came  into  your  life?  It  may  be  that  you 
stood  by  the  bedside  of  one  dearer  to  you  than  life,  and  you  saw 
that  life  ebbing  and  that  dear  soul  going  out  into  the  beyond,  and  you 
said,  "I  cannot  bear  it,"  and  you  cried  unto  Him  to  have  that  one 
restored;  or,  it  may  be  some  other  thing  that  you  lost;  or,  you  en- 
dured some  trial,  and  you  said,  "Why  is  it  that  I  have  suffered  so? 
Here  are  persons  that  are  living  lives  of  complicity  with  worldliness, 
and  they  seem  to  just  prosper  in  everything,  and  to  be  happy  all  the 
time,  and  I  have  sorrow  upon  sorrow.    Why  did  this  come  to  me?" 

Now  what  is  the  meaning  of  all  those  things?  And  I  suppose  there 
is  not  one  of  us  but  has,  so  to  speak,  unconsciously  summoned  the 
eternal  and  infinitely  wise  and  good  God  to  our  little  tribunal  to  be 
tried,  and  we  have  said,  "Why  is  this?  Give  a  reason."  I  am  sure 
some  of  you  have  heard  His  blessed  voice  saying,  "Didn't  you  know 
that  which  you  lost  was  mine?  Didn't  you  know  that  you  were  mine? 
Are  you  going  to  question  me  as  to  what  I  do  with  mine  own?  Didn't 
you  say  you  were  mine  in  everything?  Well,  then,  can't  I  do  what  I 
want  with  my  own?"  Oh,  the  sweetness  of  it  all,  when  you  know  that 
"my  beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  His."  I  cannot  have  Him  for  mine 
unless  He  has  me  for  His.  In  everything  that  I  am  and  have  and  can 
be,  I  am  His.  And  then  you  remember  that  in  John  21:22  He  says, 
"If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee?"  Don't  you 
inquire  about  certain  things  that  are  behind,  but  follow  thou  Me.  Go, 
and  do  what  I  tell  you  to  do.  Now  the  person  who  has  come  to  Him 
very  closely,  the  person  who  recognizes  that  the  Lord  Jesus  has  a 
right  to  do  with  me  or  my  possessions  and  everything  that  I  speak 
of  as  my  own,  as  He  will,  and  the  person  who  hears  Him  say,  "You 
go,  and  do  what  I  tell  you";  or,  "You  follow  me,"  such  an  one  can 
go  forward  with  confidence,  knowing  that  the  Lord  Himself  is  co- 
worker with  him,  knowing  that  He  who  never  tires  and  never  is 
weary  will  not  faint  on  the  job,  knowing  that  He  will  carry  it  through; 
"He  who  hath  begun  a  good  work  in  you  will  complete  it  unto  the 
day  of  redemption." 


Bev.  A.  B.  Winchester  39 

A  Restful   Illustration 

I  was  down  at  Atlantic  City  at  a  conference  last  Summer,  and  I 
noticed  there  when  I  would  go  down  for  a  bath,  the  children  were 
on  the  sand, — the  great  wide  smooth  sands,  with  their  little  shovels 
and  their  little  pails,  and  they  were  digging  and  building  forts,  I  am 
sorry  to  say  it,  the  very  children  were  playing  war  most  of  the  time, 
and  they  made  the  smooth  sand  full  of  ugly  holes  as  war  has  pitted 
the  fields  of  beautiful  France  and  Belgium.  Then  the  old  sea  turned 
without  crying  or  fretting,  it  just  rolled  in  and  rolled  in,  and  the 
children  went  back  and  back,  and  the  sea  covered  over  all  the  forts 
and  mock  trenches  and  smoothed  them  all  out  and  leveled  the  sand 
and  made  it  as  smooth  as  this  desk.  Then  when  it  had  completed  the 
work  it  went  away  back  again.  And  back  the  children  came  and  built 
new  forts,  and  on  the  sea  rolls  again  and  smoothes  it  the  same  as  be- 
fore. Now  the  sea  never  was  tired,  it  never  was  weary.  It  was  the 
expression  of  Him  who  stays  calm  through  all  the  perturbations  of 
stormy  and  evil  days.  The  children  of  men  have  taken  this  creation 
of  His  and  have  dug  it  up  into  all  sorts  of  things.  But,  oh,  the  great 
Lord  is  waiting  to  roll  into  it!  He  is  waiting  to  roll  into  Russia, 
where  for  hundreds  of  years  millions  of  our  poor  fellow  beings  have 
not  had  a  chance  to  express  themselves  in  any  legitimate  freedom. 
They  have  not  had  a  chance  to  look  into  the  face  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  Of  course  they  have  heard  of  Him 
in  the  midst  of  ritual  and  ceremony,  but  I  say  they  have  not  had 
a  chance  to  look  into  His  face,  they  have  not  had  a  chance  to  hear  of 
what  He  has  done  for  them  in  pure  grace  and  love. 

Now  what  does  it  mean  that  God  is  calling  us  to  realize  that  He 
wants  clean  vessels  to  carry  His  blessed  glad  tidings, — the  glad  tidings 
of  the  happy  God,  to  realize  that  He  wants  us,  to  recognize  that  it  is 
not  for  us  to  say,  "Now  I  think  I  will  do  this,  and  I  think  I  will  give  a 
little  to  this  and  a  little  to  that";  but  to  ask,  "Lord,  this  is  thine  and 
I  am  thine,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  I  trust  all  of  us  are 
looking  and  longing  for  that  supreme  hour  when  our  blessed  Lord 
shall  come  and  call  His  Church  to  Himself.  Some  of  us  are  looking 
for  that  day  by  day,  with  joy  and  longing;  but  I  trust  that  even  that 
is  not  to  obstruct  the  present  duty.  The  fact  is  that  in  order  to  realize 
that,  this  must  be  done.  "If  I  will  that  he  tarry,  till  I  come,  what  is 
that  to  thee?  Follow  thou  me."  Go  on,  and  do  this  work.  Russia  is 
not  the  only  part  of  the  world.  We  are  centralizing,  specializing,  if) 
we  may  so  speak,  on  Russia  at  this  present  time,  because  never  such 
an  opening  ivas  made  for  the  hosts  of  the  Lord  as  there  is  there  today 
Certainly  we  are  to  "go  into  all  the  world,"  India,  Africa,  and  the 
islands  of  the  sea;  we  must  have  them  all.  But  today  let  us  think 
of  Russia,  let  us  think  of  God's  great  power  and  His  willingness  to  I 


^^  /  1/ 

nk  I 


40  A  Quiet  Hour  Address 

equip  us  for  this  colossial  service.  Let  us  pray  that  we  may  know  His 
will,  in  the  fulness  of  the  knowledge  of  it,  and  that  we  may  know 
Him  and  be  strengthened  with  all  the  might  of  His  glorious  power, 
that  we  may  bear  whatever  burdens  there  are  growing  out  of  this. 


SACRED  SORROW 

By  REV.  GUSTAF  F.  JOHNSON,  Pastor,  Swedish  Tabernacle, 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 

"Now  I  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for  you,  and  fill  up  that  which  is 
behind  of  the  aflaictions  of  Christ  in  my  flesh  for  His  body's  sake,  which 
is  the  church"  (Col.  1:24).  I  think  the  Swedish  translation  has  it, 
"that  which  is  lacking  in  the  sufferings  of  Christ." 

Frequently  I  have  been  asked,  with  reference  to  this  passage,  if 
the  sufferings  of  Christ  were  not  complete,  if  anything  could  be  lack- 
ing in  them.  Did  He  not  fill  the  cup  to  the  brim?  Did  He  not  drink 
the  cup  to  the  dregs? 

Christ  is  the  Head  and  the  Church  is  the  body.  His  body.  Only 
the  Head  is  as  yet  glorified,  the  body  is  yet  on  the  battlefield.  The 
Head  is  beyond  all  suffering.  They  cannot  spit  in  His  face  any  more. 
But  the  members  of  His  body  are  still  on  earth  and  as  long  as  there  is 
one  member  left,  suffering  will  continue.  As  long  as  the  body  is  here, 
unknown  to  the  world,  misunderstood  by  the  world,  someone  must 
share  the  suffering  that  will  go  on  as  long  as  Christ  is  here  in  His 
mystical  body. 

Fellowship   in    Suffering 

We  recall  the  expression  of  Paul  in  Philippians  3:10,  as  to  "fellow- 
ship with  the  sufferings  of  Christ."  To  me  it  seemed  strange  for  some 
time  that  the  apostle  first  mentioned  the  power  of  resurrection,  and 
afterwards  fellowship  with  the  sufferings.  The  sufferings  came  be- 
fore the  resurrection.  "Suffering,  death,  resurrection,"  that  would 
have  been  the  order  to  me. 

But  I  soon  learned  that  no  one  can  know  the  fellowship  of  His  suf- 
ferings unless  he  first  knows  the  power  of  His  resurrection.  It  seems, 
sadly  enough,  that  very  few  Christians  have  any  heart  for  fellow- 
ship with  Jesus  in  His  sufferings.  Like  John  and  James  and  their 
mother,  they  would  love  to  have  prominent  places  in  the  kingdom 
glory,  but  do  not  like  the  way  that  leads  there,  the  bloody  way. 

There  was  a  dark  valley  between  the  place  where  the  disciples  stood 
and  the  hilltops  of  glory  beyond  and  not  even  Peter  likes  the  looks 
of  the  shadows  of  that  valley.  When  with  the  Lord  on  the  Mount 
in  Transfiguration  Peter  was  elated.  "Lord,  let's  stay  here,"  he  said, 
"this  is  fine!"  But  when  the  Master  spoke  of  suffering  and  death, 
Peter  said,  "Do  not  let  us  hear  any  more  of  that."  But  when  Peter 
knew  the  power  of  the  resurrection,  he  feared  nothing  more. 

41 


42  Sacred  Sorrow 

When  the  Lord  went  into  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  to  weep  and 
suffer  anguish  and  battle  with  the  hosts  of  darkness  in  His  fight  for 
a  lost  world,  He  left  some  of  His  disciples  behind.     "Tarry  ye  here."  , 

The  Inner  Circle 

"While  the  Master  was  there,  agonizing  for  the  sin  of  the  world,  one 
of  the  twelve  was  with  the  enemies,  playing  the  traitor  and  eight  of 
the  twelve  the  Master  did  not  consider — shall  I  say  worthy,  or  shall 
I  make  it  milder  and  say,  He  did  not  consider  them  able  to  have 
fellowship  with  Him  in  that  great  hour.  Only  three  of  the  twelve 
could  go  with  Him. 

How  many  of  us  will  the  Master  have  to  leave  on  the  outskirts  when 
He  enters  that  inner  circle  of  agonizing  for  the  sin  of  the  world?  How 
often  do  we  pray  for  the  holy  privilege  of  entering  with  Him,  into  that 
inner  circle,  where  we  may  share  with  Him  the  burden  of  agonizing 
for  the  world? 

Master,  thou  art  going  back  there  to  carry  the  awful  load,  to  put 
Thy  shoulder  under  the  tremendous  burden  of  the  world's  sin,  to 
carry  it  up  on  the  cross,  grant  me  the  immeasurable  privilege  of  going 
with  Thee!  If  I  am  not  in  the  proper  spirit,  Master,  for  such  fellow- 
ship, oh,  create  within  me  the  mind  that  is  in  Thee!  Invite  me  to 
that  inner  circle.  Lord. 

Sorrows  Reveal  Character 

When  you  study  the  sorrows  of  a  man,  you  will  learn  a  great  deal 
about  his  character.  What  does  he  weep  over?  Are  his  sorrows  over 
small  things?  Then  his  life  also  is  narrow  and  trivial.  You  have 
seen  people  who  called  themselves  Christians  weep  over  temporal 
losses,  inconsequential  matters,  and  have  no  tears  for  the  great  things 
of  life.     That  is  a  sad  testimony  of  the  poverty  of  their  lives. 

I  remember  a  certain  man  whom  we  never  could  get  to  pray  aloud 
in  meeting.  We  called  him  "The  Captain,"  because  he  had  followed 
the  sea  for  years.  He  always  excused  himself  by  saying  "he  was  not 
gifted  for  public  speech  or  prayer."  Then  for  months  and  months  no 
rain  came  and  the  crops  dried  up.  The  old  captain  was  a  farmer  now 
and  felt  very  bad  about  his  crops  drying  up.  With  many  others  he 
attended  a  prayer-meeting  when  we  were  praying  the  Lord  for  rain. 
And  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  as  far  as  I  know,  he  got  the  gift  of 
praying  aloud!  You  see  it  touched  something  that  was  precious  to 
him!  As  long  as  it  concerned  only  sinners,  he  could  keep  quiet,  but 
when  his  corn  and  cotton  were  being  destroyed,  then  it  was  dif- 
ferent.    And  still  he  was  supposed  to  be  a  very  good  Christian. 

When  the  Lord  forced  Jonah  to  go  to  Nineveh  he  went  all  right  and 


Rev.  Gustaf  F.  Johnson  43 

preached,  too — with  how  much  grace  I  do  not  know.  After  he  had 
done  what  he  considered  his  duty,  he  went  outside  the  city  to  see  what 
came  of  it  all.  The  Lord  felt  bad  for  the  prophet  and  prepared  a 
gourd  that  shot  up  out  of  the  earth  and  shielded  the  prophet  from  the 
hot  sun. 

By  and  by  a  worm  came  and  smote  the  gourd  so  it  withered.  That 
made  the  prophet  angry  and  he  wished  to  die.  And  God  said  to 
Jonah,  "Dost  thou  well  to  be  angry  for  the  gourd?"  And  the  prophet 
thought  he  had  a  very  good  reason  for  his  anger.  Now  the  Lord  sent 
the  lesson  home: 

It  is  this:  You  are  very  much  concerned  over  the  gourd,  a  plant  of 
a  night  or  two;  should  I  not  then  be  concerned  over  a  great  city,  with 
its  teeming  millions  of  beings,  who  are  capable  of  eternal  misery  or 
eternal  glory?  And  that  ends  the  conversation!  Jonah  could  find  no 
more  argument. 

Oh,  how  we  are  concerned  over  small  things!  Thank  God  that  our 
President  appointed  a  day  for  humiliation  and  prayer.  But  why  should 
it  have  taken  a  world  war  to  show  us  the  curse  of  forgetting  God? 
Why  were  not  days  of  humiliation  and  confession  appointed  in  all  the 
so-called  Christian  nations  years  ago?  Then  maybe  this  war  could 
have  been  averted.  When  the  terrible  results  of  sin  overwhelm  the 
nations,  we  can  see  that,  but  why  could  we  not  see  the  curse  of  sin 
itself?  When  the  waves  of  iniquity  were  surging  over  our  land  we 
thought  lightly  of  it.  It  takes  the  wages  of  sin,  death,  to  arouse  us 
from  our  lethargy. 

Sorrow  That  Is  Sweeter  than  the  World's  Joy 

"And  He  went  a  little  farther"  (Matt.  26:39).  You  do  not  find  the 
Master  with  the  crowd  now — not  even  among  the  disciples.  He  goes 
"farther" — into  a  sorrow  deeper  than  they  can  fathom.  "My  soul  is 
exceeding  sorrowful."  Wliat  is  it  that  is  casting  this  awful  gloom  over 
His  holy  soul?     The  sin  of  the  world. 

What  has  caused  your  sorrows,  my  brother?  Reverses  in  business? 
Financial  losses?  The  death  of  friends?  Broken  family  ties?  Is  that 
as  far  as  you  have  gone  with  the  Master?  Will  you  not  go  "a  little 
farther"  today?  Will  fon  enter  into  holy  fellowship  with  His  suffer- 
ing and  weep  for  the  world?  Love  the  fallen  ones  until  their  burdens 
become  your  own? 

Then  shall  you  know  a  sorrow  that  is  far  sweeter  than  the  world's 
joys,  because  you  are  with  Him.    That  will  mean  an  end  of  shallow 
worries  and  empty  joys.    And  the  mind  of  Christ  in  you  will  causej    y 
you  to  brood  in  loving  compassion  over  suffering  cities,  godless  con- 
tinents and  a  lost  world. 


THE  PERSON  AND  POWER  OF  THE  HOLY 

SPIRIT 

By  PASTOR  WILLIAM  FETLER  of  I'hiladelphia. 

THERE  are  two  things  of  which  I  could  speak  to  you.  I  could  give 
you  information  about  Russia;  but  I  am  not  just  now  inclined  to 
do  that,  because  the  chairman  suggests  that  this  hour  should  be 
more  for  inspiration  than  for  information.  Therefore  there  comes  to  my 
mind  a  passage  which  the  Lord  has  taught  me  to  love  in  a  special 
way:  "But  ye  shall  receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come 
upon  you,  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me,  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in 
all  Judea  and  in  Samaria  and"  (in  China  and  in  Japan  and  in  India 
and  in  Russia)  "unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  On  another 
occasion  this  week,  I  will  be  able  to  speak  more  on  this  subject,  but  I 
want  just  to  touch  upon  it  this  afternoon.  I  do  not  know  of  a  subject, 
apart  from  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  which  has  cleansed  me 
from  all  sin,  which  I  would  like  so  much  to  speak  of  as  the  Person  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  I  do  not  claim  to  be  expert  in  this  matter.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  I  am  not,  but  I  simply  consider  myself  in  the  A  B  C  of 
this  study.  I  am  just  trying  to  learn  a  few  little  lessons  about  the  Holy 
Spirit.  I  would  rather  get  the  A  B  C  about  the  Holy  Spirit  than  the 
X  Y  Z  about  all  other  matters. 

There  are  very  few  who  know  of  the  secret  workings  of  God  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  this  present  age  of  the  Christian  church.  They  know 
less  of  this  than  anything  else,  and  it  touches  my  heart.  If  you  would 
come  up  to  me  in  private  and  say:  "Brother  Fetler,  what  is  it  that 
you  as  a  Christian  minister,  would  like  to  learn  about  more  than  any- 
thing else  for  the  rest  of  your  lifetime?"  I  would  come  back  quickly 
and  say:  "I  would  like  to  learn  more  about  the  Holy  Spirit."  I  want 
to  know  more,  and  when  I  come  to  the  Bible,  and  try  to  learn,  I  want 
to  find  out  the  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  can  simply  reiterate 
some  of  the  things  wliich  you  know  already. 

Expedient  for   You 

Now  there  was  up  to  the  time  of  Jesus,  the  age  of  the  Father,  the 
Creator,  the  Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament.  Then  came  the  manifesta- 
tion of  the  life  of  Christ  upon  this  earth.  Then  later  He  said:  "It  is 
expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away,  because  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Para- 
clete, the  Holy  Spirit,  cannot  come.  It  is  better  that  the  Comforter 
whom  the  world  does  not  know,  and  whom  the  world  cannot  receive, 
it  is  better  that  He  does  come."    But  then  Christ  said:    "But  ye  know 

44 


Pastor  William  Fetler  45 

Him."  And  that  is  a  very  remarkable  passage  for  us:  "Ye  know  Him, 
because  He  is  with  you  and  shall  be  in  you."  Did  you  ever  notice  the 
difference  in  the  prepositions  there?  "He  is  with  you."  There  the 
presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  resting  in  mighty  power;  there  they 
came  in  touch  with  the  Paraclete.  But  now  He  said:  "That  is  not 
enough."  He  said:  "I  have  a  good  many  things  to  tell  you,  but  ye 
cannot  bear  them.  You  are  not  grown  up  yet."  Or,  as  the  Apostle 
Paul  said,  "I  have  to  feed  you  with  milk.  You  are  not  yet  strong 
enough.  You  must  grow  up  first."  Then  He  said:  "But  He  will  be  in 
you."  That  is  what  interests  me.  I  should  like  to  discuss  what  Christ 
said,  "Whom  the  world  does  not  know."  And  then,  "He  shall  be  in 
you."    Let  me  begin  with  the  last. 

There  are  various  ways  of  judging  about  a  church,  of  judging  about 
a  Bible  school,  about  a  Christian  man,  about  a  preacher,  about  a  singer, 
about  a  musician,  about  anybody.  There  is  one  way.  You  can  take 
the  measure  of  culture  and  say:  "Well,  that  person's  brain  is  so  long 
and  so  wide."  You  can  say:  "His  education  amounts  to  this  and  that. 
He  went  to  this  college  and  he  graduated  from  that  seminary."  You 
can  say:  "He  has  so  many  points  of  mathematics  and  so  many  points 
of  geography,  or  of  Latin  or  Greek,  or  of  all  the  rest."  Or,  again,  you 
can  measure  a  man  by  his  morality.  There  are  some  mighty  fine  people 
in  this  world.  Take  Count  Leo  Tolstoy.  I  visited  him  in  his  garden  {/ 
and  talked  with  him.  He_  didn't  drink,  he  had  given  up  tobacco.  He 
was  from  the  outside  just  as  good  as  any  Russian  Christian, — because 
not  a  single  Russian  Christian  smokes.  (And  I  would  say,  just  at  this 
point,  that  the  missionaries  who  want  to  come  out  to  Russia  had  better 
leave  their  pipes  in  America,  because  we  don't  have  any  use  for  them 
there.)  Now  then,  that  is  one  of  the  ways  to  judge,  by  the  outside. 
Count  Tolstoy  wrote  many  fine  books.  He  had  some  noble  purposes. 
He  loved  the  Bible, — I  mean  to  say  parts  of  the  Bible.  There  were  a 
good  many  things  in  the  Bible  he  didn't  like.  For  instance,  he  didn't 
believe  in  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  didn't  believe  in 
the  miracles.  Count  Tolstoy  couldn't  accept  all  the  New  Testament,  so 
he  took  a  pair  of  scissors  and  cut  out  of  the  New  Testament  every 
miracle  and  the  resurrection  of  Christ  and  so  on.  And  when  I  walked 
and  talked  with  him  in  his  garden, — I  was  talking  to  him  about  the 
Apostle  Paul  and  about  other  things, — and  I  said:  "Why  have  you 
cut  out  the  resurrection  of  Christ  from  your  New  Testament?"  "Oh," 
he  said:  "If  a  man  would  come  to  me  and  say,  'Christ  is  risen,'  and 
would  walk  in  my  garden,  I  would  cry  out,  'Look  at  him.'  "  That  was 
Count  Tolstoy.  Now  from  the  outside  he  was  like  a  lamb;  but  he 
spoke  like  a  dragon.  Don't  you  judge  a  man  by  what  is  outside.  You 
judge  a  man  by  what  comes  out  of  him.  If  you  know  anything  about 
the  devil,  you  know  he  has  a  good  many  fine  words  in  his  vocabulary. 
If  you  are  going  to  be  deceived  by  fine  words,  if  that  is  all  you  want. 


46  The  Person  and  Power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 

listen    to   what    the   Apostle    Paul    said.     He   said,    "The    kingdom    of 
God  is  not  in  word  but  in  power." 

What  was  the  difference  between  the  preaching  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
the  preaching  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees?  It  was  not  in  the  teaching 
or  doctrine,  because  Christ  practically  reiterated  the  things  which  the 
prophets  used  to  say,  which  the  Psalmist  had  said  and  which  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  said  every  Sabbath  in  the  synagogues.  That  was  not 
the  difference.  You  remember  the  difference  between  them.  They 
didn't  say:  "Come,  and  see  one  who  has  come  to  teach  us  new  things." 
Nothing  of  the  sort.  That  didn't  strike  the  people.  But  after  Christ 
had  spoken,  then  those  folks  went  outside  and  said:  "This  man  speaks 
as  one  having  authority."  The  difference  between  Christ  and  the 
scribes  was  not  in  the  word,  but  in  the  authority  and  the  power.  There 
are  some  folks  who  say:  "We  will  judge  a  man  by  this,  or  a  member  of 
the  church  by  that  and  the  other." 

A   Missionary    Candidate 

I  have  learned  some  things  in  my  experience,  and  I  would  like  to 
tell  you  also,  in  regard  to  receiving  candidates  for  missionary  work  in 
Russia,  whenever  the  time  shall  come.  Let  me  give  you  an  illustration. 
Last  year  I  was  present  in  a  big  convention  in  one  of  the  cities  not  far 
from  Chicago  and  about  three  thousand  people  came  together,  and  I 
was  expected  to  speak  there.  Meanwhile  a  young  man,  graduate  of  one 
of  the  seminaries  in  this  country,  came  up  to  me  and  said  he  wanted 
to  apply  for  missionary  service  in  Russia.  He  told  me  that  he  loved 
Russia.  I  believe  he  was  honest,  but  that  isn't  all.  I  found  that  he 
believed  some  things  of  New  Theology.  And  so  I  could  not  give  this 
man  any  encouragement  to  become  a  missionary  to  Russia,  but  I  took 
him  to  a  little  room  and  said,  "You  sit  down  here,  and  tell  me  how 
you  were  saved."  "I  was  baptized  when  I  was  twelve  years  old,"  he 
said.  I  said,  "I  didn't  ask  when  you  were  baptized.  I  asked  when  you 
were  saved."  There  are  a  good  many  Baptists  who  believe  more  in 
baptism  than  in  salvation.  I  praise  God  I  don't  belong  to  that  crowd. 
I  said,  "Will  you  please  tell  me  then  what  has  been  your  experience  in 
the  Christian  life.  When  you  fell  into  some  sin,  how  did  you  get 
right?"  He  couldn't  tell  me  a  single  thing  about  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  not  a  thing  about  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible.  He  didn't  know 
where  he  was  at,  and  so  I  had  to  tell  him.  I  had  to  deal  with  him  very 
differently  from  the  rest,  because  he  was  a  cultured  man,  and  very 
refined.  He  was  one  of  the  best  students  in  his  seminary  and  was 
secretary  also  to  the  president  of  that  seminary;  but  I  could  not  give 
him  any  encouragement  to  become  a  missionary  to  Russia.  He  looked 
like  a  lamb;  but  he  spoke  like  a  dragon.  I  said  to  him:  "You  had 
better  keep  out  of  Russia,  we  can't  use  you,  because  you  have  no  living 


Pastor  William  Fetler  47 

message."  And  then  in  that  fishy-wishy  way  he  got  up  and  said: 
"Well  then,  I  guess  I'll  go  to  Japan."  The  ministers  later  ordained 
this  young  man  to  be  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  he  applied  to  a 
foreign  mission  society  to  be  sent  out  as  a  missionary  to  Japan.  What 
is  he  going  to  do  over  there?  That  is  why  I  cannot  trust  some  of  the 
foreign  missionary  societies.  I  cannot  trust  anybody  who  will  send 
men  who  do  not  know  what  regeneration  and  salvation  are  and  what  sin 
is. 

The  Indispensable  Qualification 

• 

Now,  therefore,  I  come  back  and  say:  "What  is  it,  my  dear  friends, 
that  we  ought  to  take  as  the  one  great  message?"  The  one  great  thing 
for  any  man  is  the  presence  and  the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  "If 
any  man,"  says  the  Apostle  Paul,  "has  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is 
none  of  His."  You  show  me  a  man  who  has  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and 
he  is  not  one  of  His.  My  prayers  are  for  this  conference.  My  students 
are  witnesses — for  weeks,  for  months  we  have  prayed  so  much  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  would  have  a  full  hand  in  this  conference.  I  am  sick  of 
Spiritless  conventions,  and  I  do  not  want  to  go  to  them.  I  have  been 
lecturing  at  a  good  many  conferences  and  in  a  good  many  churches  for 
the  last  four  years.  Now  how  are  you  going  to  judge  a  church?  Some- 
times we  can  very  easily  judge  it.  If  we  do  not  see  the  Holy  Spirit  In 
it,  then  it  is  no  place  of  Christ's.  If  you  do  not  know  that,  then  you 
do  not  know  the  A  B  C  of  Christianity.  People  come  to  me  and  say, 
"Here  is  a  recommendation  for  this  gentleman,  the  Rev.  So-and-So, 
D.  D."  "Praise  God,"  I  say,  "Let  me  get  in  touch  with  him."  And  the 
thing  I  am  interested  in  is  not  how  great  titles  he  has  or  how  many 
universities  he  has  gone  through.  The  one  great  thing  I  care  for  is, 
"Does  the  Holy  Spirit  use  the  man?"  I  have  use  for  any  man  or  woman 
whom  the  Holy  Spirit  uses;  but  I  have  no  use  for  any  man  or  any 
woman,  in  the  Christian  ministry,  where  there  is  no  evidence  of  the 
power  of  Christ's  Spirit.  Suppose  there  is  a  man  and  I  hear  all  kinds 
of  things  about  him.  I  remember  the  case  of  a  very  prominent  evangel- 
ist with  whom  I  came  in  contact.  I  won't  mention  his  name,  because 
there  is  no  need  of  it.  Now  when  I  hear  things  for  or  against  a  man, 
I  don't  take  those  things  into  consideration.  I  go  and  listen  to  the 
man.  I  sit  quietly  somewhere  in  his  meeting.  I  go  to  some  prayer 
meeting  that  evangelist  is  leading.  I  go  anywhere  where  he  is  and  ther* 
I  try  to  discover  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  if  I  discover 
a  trace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  I  will  discount  everything  else  about  the 
man.  If  the  Holy  Spirit's  anointing  is  upon  the  man,  that  is  enough 
for  me  to  know  about  him. 

This,  I  believe,  ought  to  be  emphasized  for  our  mission  in  Russia.  I 
would  say  we  do  not  care  in  Russia  to  show  simply  Protestantism.    We 


48  The  Person  and  Power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 

do  not  care  simply  to  have  the  people  become  Protestants.  We  want  to 
see  men  come  out  there,  who  will  stand  before  the  great  multitudes  of 
the  Russian  people  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  one  thing 
I  have  found  (pardon  this  personal  remark)  one  thing  I  have  found, 
since  beginning  to  yearn  for  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  have  found  that  Chris- 
tian men  or  Christian  women  who  want  to  have  much  of  the  presence 
and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  must  lead  very  cautious  and  very  pure  and 
unselfish  lives.  No  selfish  man  will  be  used  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  You 
show  me  any  man  whom  God  can  use  and  does  use,  and  whatever  may 
be  said  against  that  man,  I  say  he  cannot  be  selfish,  because  the  Holy 
Spirit  can  never  use  a  selfish  person. 

"Whom  the  World  Cannot  Receive" 

And  now  the  last  word:  "Whom  the  world  cannot  receive."  Did 
you  ever  think  of  that?  "Whom  the  world  cannot  receive,"  and  does 
not  understand  "One  standeth  in  your  midst  whom  you  do  not  know," 
said  John  the  Baptist,  about  Jesus  Christ.  "One  standeth  in  your 
midst."  Let  me  tell  you,  people  of  Chicago,  in  this  very  city,  and  in 
New  York,  and  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  Los  Angeles,  and  in  this  country, 
One,  the  Paraclete  has  come,  in  this  age  of  salvation,  this  age  of  grace. 
Did  you  ever  think  of  the  tremendous  weight  of  those  words?  "Whom 
the  world  cannot  receive." 

You  allow  the  world  to  come  in  and  take  any  place  in  your  heart, 
you  allow  theatres,  movies,  card-playing,  love  of  money  and  self  to 
come  in,  and  you  will  see  that  those  very  things  will  keep  away  the 
Holy  Spirit  from  your  heart.  "Whom  the  world  cannot  receive."  This 
has  tremendous  weight,  it  is  a  truth  of  greatest  importance.  Do  I  want 
the  Holy  Spirit?  If  that  is  what  I  want,  then  I  must  also  know  that 
I  cannot  have  the  things  of  the  world,  the  systems  of  the  world,  the 
ideas  of  the  world,  the  desires  of  the  world.  They  must  all  go  out  of 
me,  because  if  not,  He  will  be  kept  out.  And  my  prayer  to  God  at  this 
moment  is  that  during  this  conference  we  may  experience  two  things: 
first,  a  great  cleansing  from  the  world,  a  great  purification  from  things 
which  are  of  the  world,  and  then,  that  there  shall  be  such  an  infilling  of 
the  Spirit  that  we,  as  a  missionary  committee  for  Russia,  may  stand 
up  before  this  country  and  before  the  world  in  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  which  is  the  one  great  recommendation,  and  say,  "Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  has  sent  us."  Each  missionary  ought  to  be  able  to  say, 
"Christ  has  sent  me  to  that  land."  Let  this  be  the  ordination  of  every 
young  man  who  would  be  sent  to  Russia  as  a  missionary  of  the  Cross 
of  Christ. 


RUSSIA'S  PEOPLE  AND  THEIR  NEIGHBORS 

By  PROF.  MICHAEL  A.  DE  SHERBININ 

RUSSIA  occupies  one-sixth  part  of  the  whole  land  surface  of  the 
globe.  Its  area  equals  660,000  square  miles.  Time  will  not 
permit  me  to  enumerate  all  the  peoples  which  compose  the  182,- 
000,000  of  Russia's  population.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the  majority 
of  the  population  consists  of  Russians  and  of  nations  which  are  akin  to 
them.  Aside  from  the  six  and  a  half  million  Jews  living  in  Russia,  five- 
sixths  of  the  population  belong  to  the  Aryan  race,  that  is,  to  the  same 
white  race  which  inhabits  most  of  Europe,  Persia  and  parts  of  India. 

Those  who  speak  the  three  main  dialects  of  the  Russian  language 
comprise  eighty-six  millions.  Besides  these  there  are  less  than  a 
million  of  Slavic  immigrants,  and  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  million 
German  colonists  in  different  fertile  zones  of  the  land.  The  Moham- 
medans number  seventeen  million  and  according  to  their  own  claim 
there  are  thirty  million  in  Russia,  including  Siberia. 

The  population  of  the  Caucasus,  numbering  ten  millions,  presents  a 
great  variety  of  nations  and  languages.  The  most  numerous  of  these 
nations  are  the  Georgians,  the  Armenians  and  the  Tartars. 

Illiteracy  is  great  and,  on  the  average,  people  who  can  both  read 
and  write  are  approximately  thirty  per  cent  of  the  population.  The 
prohibition  of  the  sale  of  vodka  has  worked  a  revolution.  In  1914,  one 
hundred  forty-six  million  gallons  of  vodka  were  sold.  In  1915  only  eight 
and  seven-tenths  million.  In  proportion  to  this  reduction  the  influx 
of  deposits  in  the  savings  banks  has  increased.  The  deposits  in  1914 
were  $45,000,000  and  the  crops  were  good.  In  1915  the  deposits  rose  to 
$278,000,000. 

Approximately  one-sixth  of  Russia's  population  belongs  to  the  yellow, 
or  Mongolian,  race.  It  comprises  all  the  aborigines  of  the  north  of 
Siberia.  The  many  Fennic  or  Finnish  tribes  on  the  Volga  and  its 
tributaries  belong  to  that  race  and  they  speak  languages  akin  to  those 
of  the  Finns  and  Esthonians,  living  on  either  side  of  the  Gulf  of 
Finland.  These  Finnish  nations,  although  related  to  the  Mongolians 
by  blood,  have  been  so  much  mixed  with  the  white  race,  that  their 
complexion  cannot  be  distinguished  from  that  of  the  Aryans. 

The  Early  History 

Once  these  Fennic  tribes,  belonging  to  the  Turanian  stock,  covered 
the  greater  part  of  what  is  now  Russia,  but  they  were  gradually  pushed 
off  to  the  north  by  the  Slavs.    We  have  no  historic  record  of  this  fact, 

40 


50  Russia's  People  and  Their  Neighbors 

but  it  is  discovered  in  the  traces  wliich  those  Turanian  nations  have  left 
in  the  names  of  rivers  and  some  towns,  left  to  the  Slavic  nations 
which  had  driven  them  to  the  north  and  had  taken  possession  of  their 
lands. 

What  the  Slavs  did  for  the  Finns  and  other  Turanian  tribes  in  driv- 
ing them  to  the  North  and  also  in  assimilating  them,  the  Teutons  did 
to  the  Slavs.  All  that  part  of  Germany  east  of  the  Elbe  was  in- 
habited by  Slavs,  by  a  people  which  spoke  about  the  same  language  as 
the  Russians,  the  Poles  and  the  Bohemians.  The  names  of  many  towns 
in  northern  Germany  bear  witness  to  this.  The  land  inhabited  by  the 
Slavs  reached  the  Baltic  Sea  and  even  some  names  of  towns  in  the 
Danish  Islands  bear  witness  to  their  Slavic  origin.  It  took  centuries 
for  the  Germanic  nations  to  assimilate  the  Slavs  and  to  push  them 
eastward. 

When  we  talk  of  the  Russian  nation,  we  cannot  take  it  apart  from  the 
Slav  group  which  we  may  compare  to  a  tree  of  which  the  Russ  makes  a 
part.  As  we  have  said,  the  Slavs  occupied  the  regions  of  North  Ger- 
many to  the  Elbe,  but  now  they  are  spread  over  the  vast  lands  of 
Russia,  of  Poland,  of  Bohemia,  and  over  the  Balkan  Peninsula  up  to 
the  Adriatic  Sea.  From  the  Greek  historians  we  know  the  names  of 
some  nations  which  inhabited  the  plains  of  Russia  before  any  record 
or  history  was  written.  We  know  also  that  the  Goths  and  the  other 
Germanic  tribes  dwelt  there  before  settling  in  the  Scandinavian  Pen- 
insula and  the  Island  of  Gothland  and  before  invading  southern  Europe. 

Some  scientists  tell  us  that  the  Slavs  were  centered  somewhere  in 
Europe  previous  to  their  migration  eastward  to  occupy  Russia's  plains 
and  forests.  It  is  difficult  to  state  with  precision  when  that  migration 
took  place.  No  doubt  it  was  not  accomplished  in  one  century.  In  olden 
times  the  peoples  of  the  plains  could  never  hold  their  land  against  the 
invasion  of  enemies,  as  could  those  tribes  of  nations  who  dwelt  in 
mountains  and  valleys  and  who  could  defend  themselves  in  those 
natural  citadels. 

Beginnings  of  Russian  Nation 

The  beginnings  of  the  Russ  nation  date  from  the  ninth  century.  The 
oldest  record  that  has  reached  us  about  those  early  days  is  what  is 
known  as  the  Chronicle  of  Nestor,  a  monk  who  lived  in  the  twelfth 
century  and  who  wrote  about  the  Slav  tribes  and  the  Finnish  tribes 
that  were  settled  along  the  Dnieper  River  and  its  tributaries,  and  also 
in  the  vast  forests  along  the  waterways  of  the  north.  It  would  seem 
that  the  Slav  tribes  often  quarrelled  with  each  other  and,  as  is  done 
even  in  our  days,  they  called  an  armed  force  from  the  outside  to  settle 
their  quarrel.  The  Norsemen  or  Viking  pirates  of  the  North,  who  had 
been   warring   since   the    eighth    century    in   Europe,    who    raided    the 


Prof.  Michael  A.  De  SJierhinm  51 

wealthy  cities  and  brought  devastation  and  terror  as  far  as  Constan- 
tinople, knew  a  traflBcable  waterway  through  the  system  of  rivers  and 
lakes  which  connected  the  Baltic  Sea  with  the  Black  Sea,  and  which 
enabled  them  to  travel  both  as  merchants  and  as  warriors  to  the  lands 
which  attracted  their  love  of  adventure.  Each  of  these  warrior-mer- 
chants was  called  "G«st"  by  the  Slavs,  which  meant  both  "guest"  and 
"merchant."  The  guest  was  thus  the  carrier  of  the  first  trade  and  when 
he  was  not  met  in  a  friendly  way,  he  had  recourse  to  his  weapons. 

These  "guests"  wore  a  coat  of  mail  called  "bryne,"  which  is  called 
in  Russia  up  to  this  day  "bronia."  They  had  helmets  called  "shelom" 
in  Slavic.  They  sailed  in  boats  called  "ladia"  and  "proam,"  old  Norse 
words  which  are  still  used  daily  by  the  Russians. 

You  may  have  noticed  that  these  early  Norse  Vikings  spoke  a  lan- 
guage similar  to  Icelandic,  also  similar  to  Swedish;  whereas  the  Slavs 
spoke  a  language  which  a  Russian  or  a  Pole  could  easily  understand 
today.  They  had  no  learned  academies  at  that  time  that  could  write 
dictionaries  and  volumes  of  learned  research  to  try  your  patience,  but 
the  language  of  the  Slavs  which  lives  up  to  this  day  in  the  mouth  of 
this  race  from  the  picturesque  forests  of  Russia  to  the  Slavic  settle- 
ments in  America,  bears  witness  to  the  fact  that  the  early  words  for 
navigation,  for  warfare,  for  commerce  and  for  statesmanship  were 
brought  to  the  illiterate  Slavs  by  the  more  cultured  warriors  of  the 
north. 

Nestor's  Chronicle 

Let  us  hear  how  Nestor's  Chronicle  relates  of  the  birth  of  the  Russ 
kingdom:  "In  the  year  6367  (that  is,  859  A.  D.)  the  Varingians  sailed 
over  the  sea  and  took  tribute  from  Chud  and  Slovens  from  Meria,  from 
Ves  and  from  the  Krivichi,  but  the  Khozars  took*  tribute  from  the 
Polanes  and  from  the  Severians  and  from  the  Ventichi." 

Then  Nestor  continues:  "In  the  year  862  three  tribes  chased  the 
Varingians  over  the  sea;  they  refused  to  pay  them  any  tribute  and  they 
governed  themselves  and  they  did  evil  in  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice. One  clan  rose  against  another  clan  and  party  spirit  and  discord 
were  prevailing  among  them  and  they  began  to  make  war  among 
themselves. 

"And  they  said  one  to  another:  'Let  us  seek  for  a  prince  who  could 
rule  over  us  and  who  could  judge  in  righteousnes,'  and  they  went  over 
the  sea  to  the  Varingians,  to  Rus,  for  so  were  these  Varingians  called 
— Rus,  even  as  others  were  known  as  Swedes,  others  Normans,  others 
Angles,  others  Goths. 

"And  the  clans  of  Chud  of  Slovens  or  Krivitchi  and  of  Vess  said  to 
Rus:  'Our  land  is  vast  and  rich,  but  order  is  not  found  there;  come 
over  to  rule  and  govern  us.' 


52  Bussia's  People  and  Their  Neighbors 

"And  three  brothers  were  chosen  with  their  escort  and  they  took 
with  them  all  Rus  and  they  came.  And  the  eldest  Ruric  settled  in 
Novgorod,  and  the  second  Sineus  in  White-Lake  and  the  third  Truvor 
in  Izborsk  (south  of  Peipus  Lake),  and  the  head  city  of  Rus,  namely 
Novgorod  got  its  name  after  these  Varingians." 

Thus  both  archaeology,  historic  records  and  thS  very  language  spoken 
by  the  Slavs  prove  that  the  early  rulers  of  Rus  were  Scandinavian 
Vikings.  The  escort  of  Ruric  were  all  of  that  stock,  and  the  very 
people  whom  Nestor  in  his  manuscript  calls  "Rus"  were  the  crews  of 
Viking  vessels,  those  whom  Prof.  Thomsen  of  Copenhagen  records  as 
the  old  Rothsmen,  that  is,  "rowing  men,"  a  name  by  which  the  Finns 
still  designate  the  Swedes. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  Russ  people  sprung  up  from  this  Scandivanian 
nucleus  that  had  gathered  around  it  the  Slavic  tribes  and  founded  a 
state  among  them.  The  early  Russ  people  spoke  the  language  of  the 
Vikings  and  after  two  or  three  generations  they  exchanged  their  old 
Norse  tongue  for  the  speech  of  the  Slavs  with  whom  they  had  cast 
their  lot.  The  word  Rossia,  now  used  for  Russia,  is  a  very  queer  word 
of  recent  date.  It  was  introduced  by  the  Moscow  Czars  in  their  official 
titles  in  the  seventeenth  century  and  can  be  traced  to  Greek  influence. 
This  connection  of  the  Russ  with  the  Scandinavian  is  not  an  incidental 
and  ephemeral  factor,  but  it  has  left  deep  and  abiding  roots  in  the 
Russian  soul.  Thus  the  Russians  are  in  many  ways  akin  to  their 
northern  ancestors  on  the  one  side,  and  on  the  other  side  they  are 
related  to  the  rest  of  the  family,  the  Serbians,  the  Bohemians,  Poles 
and  others,  as  children  of  one  common  Slavic  mother. 

Ruric's  descendant,  Vladimir,  embraced  Christianity  and  compelled 
his  people  to  be  baptized.  This  prince  was  called  Vladimir  the  Great 
by  the  people  and  his  name  has  been  woven  into  the  folklore.  Although 
the  title  "Kniaz,"  which  these  rulers  bore  is  translated  in  English  as 
"prince,"  we  are  entitled  to  interpret  it  as  "king,"  as  it  is  practically 
derived  from  the  Scandinavian  title  konung  (koenig  or  king). 

One  of  Valdimar's  descendants,  worthy  of  the  name  of  king,  was 
Yaroslav  the  Wise  (1116-1154).  He  ordered  a  code  of  law  to  be  pub- 
lished, called  the  Russian  Law.  Capital,  punishment,  death  by  refine- 
ments of  cruelty,  torture,  even  a  public  prison  were  unknown.  These 
humane  laws  were  purely  Scandinavian  in  character.  This  Yaroslav 
the  Wise  was  related  to  different  European  kings  and  was  respected  by 
all  as  a  powerful  ruler. 

The  Mongolian  Invasion 

With  a  succession  of  wise  descendants  of  Ruric  and  in  contact  with 
all  the  nations  of  Europe,  Russia  would  have  marched  on  with  Western 
progress,  had  it  not  been  for  a  severe  trial  which  God's  destiny  re- 


Prof.  Michael  A.  Be  SherUnm  .53 

served  for  this  nation^  A  cloud  began  to  gather  in  the  east  and  it 
became  more  dark  and  threatening  as  it  grew.  It  was  soon  to  burst 
on  the  Russian  nation.  The  Mongolian  hordes  of  Jenghiz  Khan  soon 
covered  Russia  and  the  Tartar  armies,  numbering  five  hundred  thou- 
sand, spread  death  and  devastation  wherever  they  went.  The  princes 
of  the  house  of  Ruric  united  their  forces  to  meet  the  Tartar  armies; 
a  terrible  battle  was  fought  at  the  River  Kalka,  near  the  Azov  Sea  and 
the  Russ  princes  were  defeated. 

Now  the  poor  Russ  people  entered  upon  a  period  of  their  history- 
known  as  "the  Mongol  Yoke."  The  real  lords  of  Russia  were  now  the 
Mongolians.  The  Russian  princes  had  to  pay  an  annual  tribute  to  the 
Tartar  Khans  in  their  capital  at  the  Golden  Horde  near  the  estuary  of 
the  great  Volga  River.  This  Mongolian  conquest  lasted  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  and  left  indelible  traces  on  the  culture  of  the  people. 
Instead  of  the  humane  and  mild  laws  of  the  descendants  of  Ruric,  the 
Russians  were  taught  for  two  centuries  and  half,  Asiatic  cruelty  and 
despotism.  Many  Tartar  words  came  into  the  language  of  the  people 
and .  some  of  them  still  cling  to  it.  Russia  was  left  far  behind  the 
rest  of  Europe  in  education  and  culture. 

It  was  only  in  1480  that  John  III,  also  a  descendant  of  Ruric,  emanci- 
pated Russ  from  the  Mongolian  yoke. 

The  talented  poet,  Count  Alexis  Tolstoi,  who  had  been  master  of  the 
brilliant  court  of  Alexander  II,  wrote  a  stirring  ballad,  which  makes 
one  wonder  what  great  measure  of  liberty  the  press  •  enjoyed  under 
that  monarch. 

Alexis  Tolstoi  displays  his  creative  genius  in  imagining  that  Vladi- 
mir the  Great,  the  liberal  ruler,  is  seated  in  his  capital  city  of  Kiev 
and  gives  a  banquet,  surrounded  by  his  warriors.  They  praise  his 
domestic  spirit,  where  he  rules  as  a  friend  surrounded  by  his  counsel- 
lors. Suddenly  there  passes  by  a  Tartar  bard  or  minstrel.  The  guests 
at  the  banquet  call  him  in  and  King  Vladimir  wants  to  hear  his  song. 

The  bard  starts  to  sing  what  we  might  call  a  prophetic  vision.  He 
describes  how  Vladimir  is  surrounded  by  his  warriors,  whom  he  treats 
as  his  friends  and  advisers  and  is  loved  and  respected  by  them.  He 
goes  on  saying  that  centuries  will  roll  on  and  Tartar  hosts  will  invade 
the  land  and  Tartar  rulers  will  put  their  heavy  yoke  upon  Vladimir's 
descendants  and  they  will  become  vassals  to  the  Tartar  princes.  But 
the  day  will  come  after  centuries  when  one  of  the  descendants  of  King 
Vladimir  will  throw  off  the  Mongol  yoke  and  rebel  against  the  Tartar 
Khan.  "He  will  again  then  sit  on  thy  throne,  O  King  Vladimir,  but 
no  more  like  a  Russian  ruler;  having  expelled  the  Tartar  Khan  he  will 
himself  rule  like  an  Oriental  despot." 

The  poet  has  been  successful  in  embodying  in  this  ballad  the  truth 
that  Russia,  although  trying  to  be  popular  and  in  harmony  with  the 
concert  of  Western  nations,  cannot  shake  off  the  Asiatic  despotism 


he  i 


y 


54  Russia's  People  and  Their  Neighbors 

her  rulers.    Russia,  though  trying  to  play  the  part  of  a  liberal  country 
■v    , before  the  west,  still  remains  despotic  and  still  bears  the  deep  mark 
of  Tartar  domination. 

The  Slavs  Need  Freedom  in  Christ 

We  believe  that  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  thing  that  can 
produce  real  and  lasting  reforms  in  the  heart  of  a  nation. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  fact  that  the  Teutons  pushed  the  Slavs  east- 
ward in  the  course  of  the  centuries,  and  it  appears  that  the  Slavs 
during  the  wars  with  their  western  neighbors  were  so  often  taken 
prisoners  and  in  such  great  numbers,  and  were  sold  on  the  market  for 
slaves,  and  this  is  the  way  their  very  name  of  Slavs  gave  rise  to  the 
word  slaves.  Slave  is  thus  derived  from  Slav  and  is  practically  the 
same  word. 

American  Christians!  you  know  the  power  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
"I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  for  it  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth."  Do  you  realize  that  most 
of  the  Russian  Slavs  are  not  yet  free?  They  are  still  bondmen  of  sin. 
Will  you  help  to  make  the  slaves  free?  You  can  do  so  by  sending  them 
the  Gospel  of  our  Saviour!  for  it  is  written:  "Ye  shall  know  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free."  Help  to  make  them  free!  It  is 
not  enough  that  they  be  made  free  politically.  Not  enough  that  they 
be  freed  from  the  oppression  of  a  despotic  government,  or  from  the  op- 
pression of  capital,  or  from  the  enslavement  of  their  conscience  to  the 
claims  of  an  arrogant  priesthood — but  they  must  be  made  free  from 
sin  and  from  all  its  consequences. 

Early  Missionary  Experiences 

I  have  just  referred  to  Count  Alexis  Tolstoi,  and  would  mention  the 
name  of  another  member  of  that  numerous  family,  Count  Dimitry 
Tolstoi,  a  typical  Russian  official  of  the  last  century,  a  typical  bureau- 
crat, who  would  come  up  to  you  with  a  smile  and  with  courteous  man- 
ners which  he  had  learned  from  the  Court  of  London  or  Paris,  but  with 
a  dagger  in  his  heart. 

It  was  thirty-five  years  ago.  My  friend,  the  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer,  who 
is  sitting  before  me  now,  and  myself  were  young  men,  zealous  in  preach- 
ing the  Gospel  and  in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  Mr.  Hoijer  was  sent  by 
the  Swedish  Missionary  Board.  He  lived  in  St.  Petersburg  and  he  and 
his  wife  were  anxious  to  help  unfortunate  girls,  who  had  gone  wrong 
but  who  wanted  now  to  earn  their  living  by  honest  labor.  He  and  Mrs. 
Hoijer  had  rented  a  flat  in  the  same  building  where  they  lived  and  had 
taken  in  several  girls  under  the  training  of  a  Christian  lady  who  taught 
them  sewing  and  fancy  work.     As  such  women  were  always  provided 


Prof.  Michael  A.  De  Sherhmin  55 

with  passports  under  strict  control  of  the  police,  and  the  latter  wished 
to  know  the  motives  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoijer  for  taking  such  interest 
in  them,  we  were  told  that  it  was  necesary  to  obtain  the  protection  of 
authorities  for  carrying  on  that  benevolent  work.  As  cases  were  re- 
corded of  traveling  agents  who  recruited  parties  of  young  girls  and 
supplied  the  harems  of  Turkey  with  them,  the  police  suspected  our 
friends  to  be  such  agents. 

We  had  to  go  to  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  the  man  who  was  over 
the  police  of  the  whole  empire.  I  wrote  a  petition  to  the  Minister  of  the 
Interior  and  Mr.  Hoijer  and  myself  went  to  that  official  arrayed  in  our 
best  clothes.  The  minister  showed  absolutely  no  interest  in  the  noble 
and  charitable  work  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoijer.  He  tried  to  shake  off  any 
responsibility  from  himself.  He  pretended  the  matter  belonged  to  the 
department  of  the  chief  of  police.  But  we  knew  it  was  only  an  empty 
excuse.  This  Count  Dimitry  Tolstoi  had  been  one  of  the  Czar's 
strongest  advisers  for  a  policy  of  reaction  and  intolerance.  Some  steps 
taken  to  sweeten  and  to  purify  the  lot  of  poor  women,  who  had  become 
victims  of  the  social  evil  did  not  appeal  to  the  heart  of  the  bureaucrat. 

I  was  determined  not  to  leave  one  stone  unturned  and  I  could  not 
be  easily  turned  away  by  empty  official  excuses.  Besides  although  a 
Russian  I  told  Count  Tolstoi  that  I  looked  upon  the  good  work  of  Mr. 
Hoijer  as  my  own  work. 

That  is  what  puzzled  the  Count.  How  could  a  young  man  who 
seemed  to  be  a  Russian  of  education  go  in,  heart  and  soul,  for  that  sort 
of  rescue  work  with  a  foreign  evangelical  missionary.  A  Russian  young 
man  had  his  own  church,  and  it  would  not  cast  the  least  shadow  over 
his  loyalty  to  that  church  if  he  were  to  take  the  opposite  view  from 
Mr.  Hoijer  on  such  matters. 

Poor,  Misguided  Russia 

Count  Tolstoi  therefore  inquired  of  what  religion  I  was.  I  answered: 
"I  am  a  Christian."  He  said  then:  "We  have  no  such  faith  or  creed 
in  Russia.  We  have  Orthodox  Church  people,  we  have  Roman  Cath- 
olics, Lutherans,  Armeno-Gregorians,  Reformed  Church  people,  but  we 
have  no  such  denomination  among  our  religions." 

Poor  Russia!  God  is  just  and  righteous  and  loving.  It  is  because 
Russia  ignored  among  her  official  creeds  the  simple  Christian  faith  that 
she  became  a  prey  to  demagogues,  to  dreamers  and  to  clever  rogues.  It 
is  because  Russia's  bureaucracy  terrorized  the  people  with  a  church, 
which  made  no  distinction  between  the  voice  of  conscience  and  the 
word  of  the  human  ruler,  that  Russia's  bureaucracy  must  now  reap  the 
consequences  of  their  absurd  logic. 

I  would  consider  myself  happy  if  those  of  us,  who  have  the  cause  of 
God's  kingdom  at  heart,  who  love  the  Gospel  message  and  who  long  for 


56  Russians  People  and  Their  Neighbors 

the  salvation  of  their  fellow-men,  could  unite  our  spiritual  resources 
to  make  the  Gospel  known  to  Russia's  people,  so  that  Americans  and 
Swedes  and  Russians  may  unite  in  a  concerted  action  of  faith,  in  an 
inspired  labor  of  love  and  in  the  "hope  that  maketh  not  ashamed,"  that 
the  people  of  Russia  may  see  the  hand  of  God  and  recognize  Him,  who 
is  worthy  of  all  praise  and  adoration. 


WHY  AMERICA  MUST  TAKE  THE  LEADER- 
SHIP IN  EVANGELIZING  RUSSIA 

By  REV.  DAVID  NYVALL 

President  of  North  Park  College,  Chicago 

BEFORE  I  attempt,  in  the  briefest  possible  way,  to  answer  this 
question,  first,  a  word  about  Russian  missions  and  Russia  in 
general. 

I  acknowledge  a  very  large  debt  to  our  Russian  mission.  But  my 
conscience  in  the  matter  is  denominational  rather  than  individual. 
We  (I  refer  to  the  Swedish  Covenant  churches)  accepted  many  years 
ago  a  call  to  bring  the  Gospel  into  Russia  by  way  of  Alaska.  We  ac- 
cepted missionaries  who  went  there  with  this  purpose.  And  we  have 
withheld  them  in  Alaska  ever  since,  doing  a  very  fine  work,  no  doubt, 
but  so  far  neglecting  the  larger  call  for  which  we  entered  Alaska. 

Personally,  I  never  had  a  call  which  I  could  recognize  as  from  God 
to  go  to  Russia  myself,  but  as  a  member  of  my  denomination  I  have  a 
conscience  accusing  me  of  a  duty  neglected  or  postponed.  The  place 
to  get  right  with  my  conscience,  such  as  it  is,  is  therefore  not  at  this 
conference.  It  is  at  the  conference  of  the  Swedish  Evangelical  Mission 
Covenant,  just  about  to  convene  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.  You  cannot  cor- 
rect an  error  which  we  have  committed.  We  must  do  that  ourselves, 
and  it  can  be  done  at  any  time  simply  by  extending  our  Alaskan  mis- 
sions into  the  Great  Russia  beyond. 

This  conference,  I  trust,  is  going  to  do  some  good.  It  may  stir  up 
things.  I  hope  it  will  bring  Russia  nearer  to  the  hearts  of  American 
Christians.  And  yet  I  am  free  to  say  that  the  greatest  result,  the  most 
coveted  fruit,  I  could  look  for  from  this  conference,  would  be  har- 
vested, if  the  different  denominations,  mine  included,  through  our  in- 
fluence, could  be  persuaded  to  place  Russia  upon  their  map  and  include 
the  evangelization  of  Russia  in  their  missionary  enterprises. 

Sweden  and  Russia 

Then  also  a  word  about  Russia.  It  is  probable  that  no  continental 
American  can  ever  feel  what  that  word  means  to  a  Swede  or  an  Ameri- 
can of  Swedish  descent.  It  is  really  curious  how  little  the  people  of 
this  continent  concerned  themselves  about  Russia  until  just  lately. 
It  is  fair  to  say  that  Russia  seemed  to  most  of  you  only  a  year  ago 
as  something  very  far  away.    It  is  not  thus  with  a  Swede  or  an  Ameri- 

57 


58  Why  America  Must  Take  the  Leadership 

can  of  Swedish  blood.  Our  acquaintance  with  the  Eastern  Giant  dates 
back  a  thousand  years.  Our  forefathers  roamed  as  vikings,  "vaeringar" 
they  called  themselves,  through  Russia  on  their  way  to  Constantinople 
and  back  in  the  fifth  century.  Our  forefathers,  some  of  these  vikings, 
founded  on  the  rivers  of  Russia  great  colonies,  such  as  Novgorod,  the 
very  names  of  which  to  this  day  preserve  their  memory.  It  was  a 
former  chieftain,  a  sea  king  by  the  name  of  Rurik  from  the  Swedish 
province  of  Uppland  who  founded  the  first  dynasty  in  Russia  proper. 
And  the  very  name  Russia  is  derived  from  the  name  given  to  the  part 
of  Uppland  from  which  he  came. 

Soon,  however,  Russia  grew  to  become  a  real  menace  to  the  culture 
of  Northwestern  Europe,  the  one  enemy  to  be  feared  in  the  east.  For 
hundreds  of  years,  Russia  became  the  nightmare  of  Europe  and  espe- 
cially of  Sweden.  Every  war  of  Sweden,  wherever  and  whenever  and 
whysoever  begun,  was  a  war  against  Russia  or  some  plans  of  Russia. 
Sweden  had  for  centuries  the  upper  hand  in  this  fight.  At  the  time  of 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  a  Swedish  general, 
Jacob  de  la  Gardie,  lifted  by  his  victorious  sword  a  Swedish  prince,  a 
brother  of  Gustavus,  on  the  throne  of  Western  Russia,  with  New  Nov- 
gorod, of  Swedish  name  and  fame,  as  his  capital.  The  prince  never  came 
there.  He  begged  to  be  spared  the  honor,  and  de  la  Gardie's  ambition 
to  see  a  Swedish  prince  rule  an  empire  east  of  the  Baltic  was  lost. 

Gustavus  Adolphus  himself  lived  almost  wholly  for  the  idea  of  a  safe 
eastern  front  by  the  erection  of  a  Scandinavian  empire  including  all 
the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  so  as  to  exclude  the  Russian  bear  from  ever 
wetting  his  feet  in  the  Baltic,  as  the  king  said.  He  was  far  on  his  way 
to  reach  that  goal,  when  he  fell  on  the  battlefield  of  Liitzen,  not  more 
than  thirty-eight  years  of  age.  A  century  later  the  fight  for  supremacy 
in  the  north  between  Sweden  and  Russia  came  to  a  climax  in  the  excit- 
ing heroism  of  Charles  XII,  the  Madman  of  the  North,  who  found  more 
than  his  match  in  the  shrewd  Czar  Peter  I  and  his  truly  Russian 
genius  for  turning  crushing  defeats  into  ultimate  victory.  The  fight 
ended  in  the  catastrophe  which  wrenched  the  scepter  from  Sweden  and 
gave  to  Russia  the  great  start  towards  world  dominion. 

Germany  and  Russia 

While  Sweden  stepped  back,  Germany  stepped  forward  and  became 
from  that  time  the  heir  to  the  anti-Russian  statesmanship  of  Europe. 
When  I  thus  link  German  politics  to  Swedish,  I  simply  state  an  his- 
torical fact,  without  any  attempt  at  a  comparison.  I  dare  say  that 
the  world  has  never  seen  a  more  humane  rule  over  conquered  provinces 
than  the  long  rule  of  Sweden  over  Finland  and  the  Baltic  provinces. 
And  I  dare  say  that  had  Germany  accepted  this  policy  and  adhered  to 
it,  we  should  not  now  have  to  fight  German  militarism  and  autocracy 


Uev.  David  Nyvall  '  59 

to  the  bitter  end.     But  Germany  was  not  true  to  traditions  nor  to  her 
own  ideals. 

In  the  present  fight  for  supremacy  between  Russia  and  Germany, 
launched  four  years  ago,  so  many  unexpected  forces  entered,  with  so 
many  surprises,  that  the  original  start  and  the  history  behind  have 
been  quite  forgotten,  and  perhaps  by  most  people  never  seen.  Eng- 
land's participation,  slowly  but  surely  leading  to  our  own,  was  one  of 
these  surprises  weighing  heavily  in  the  balance  against  a  German 
victory.  The  revolution  in  Russia,  however,  is  the  greatest,  the  most 
far-reaching  surprise  in  this  war  of  a  thousand  surprises.  And  the 
world  is  still  guessing  at  the  ultimate  meaning  of  this  surprise  and  its 
bearing  on  the  principles  which  have  become  the  real  object  of  the 
fight  through  America's  participation  in  the  war. 

America  in  the  Present  Crisis 

I  am  now  ready  to  take  up  the  question,  why  America  must  take  the 
leadership  in  evangelizing  Russia.  The  question  is  extremely  fascinat- 
ing. It  is  a  question  forced  upon  us  and  demanding  attention.  True, 
other  questions  just  now  are  equally  urgent.  And  it  is  hard  for  red- 
blooded  Americans  at  this  moment  to  think  intensely  and  continuously 
on  any  question  except  actual  war.  Our  hearts  are  in  the  trenches 
where  our  boys  at  this  very  moment  fight  and  die,  and  where  the  fate 
of  us  all  and  of  our  civilization  and  of  humanity  is  to  be  determined 
for  centuries  to  come.  And  yet  it  is  really  a  part  of  partiotism  to  have 
our  eyes  also  on  Russia,  and  it  is  our  Christian  duty  and  privilege 
to  look  for  chances  at  this  time  to  offer  to  the  Russian  people,  in  the 
hour  of  distress,  the  sympathy  and  the  leadership,  which  is  sustained 
by  Christian  faith  and  love  and  hope. 

It  may  be  the  function  of  this  conference  to  fill  many  Americans 
with  this  noble  ambition,  to  serve  a  great  nation  at  present  helpless 
against  overwhelming  odds  and  through  her  faults  fast  becoming  as 
friendless  as  she  is  helpless.  But  how  is  this  to  be  done?  How  is 
Russia  at  this  time  to  be  invaded  by  her  friends  through  the  iron 
doors  shut  against  her  by  her  strong  enemy  and  ours?  How  is  the 
attention  of  the  Russian  people  to  be  caught  in  this  awful  din  of  a 
world-battle  without  and  many  revolutions  within?  These  questions 
I  cannot  answer,  and  while  listening  eagerly  for  an  answer  from  those 
present  who  know  more  about  Russia  than  the  rest  of  us,  I  must  confess 
that  1  am  far  from  overconfident  that  an  answer  is  to  be  forthcoming, 
because  the  present  Russia  seems  to  be  a  riddle  not  only  to  most  of  us 
but  also  to  those  who  know  ordinary  Russia  well  enough. 

One  Direct  Way  to  Russia 

Were  I  at  this  moment  addressing  not  this  conference  but  the  con- 
ference of  my  own  denomination  at  Jamestown,  I  would  have  no  hesita- 


60  W7iy  America  Must  Take  the  Leadership 

tion  as  to  what  I  should  advise,  nor  as  to  what  could  be  done.  Nothing 
could  be  simpler.  We  have  only  to  proceed  on  our  journey,  so  long 
delayed  in  Alaska,  into  Siberia  on  the  other  side  of  Behring's  Strait,  to 
preach  the  same  Gospel  there  and  to  teach  tribes  kindred  to  the  tribes 
of  Northern  Alaska,  while  on  our  way  into  Russia  proper.  We  could 
do  this  much  easier,  were  we  privileged  to  do  it  under  the  Stars  and 
Stripes,  as  we  do  in  Alaska,  but  we  could  no  doubt  do  it  without  this 
assistance,  as  an  advance  post  of  Christian  America,  if  not  of  American 
politics  and  statesmanship. 

America  Must  Lead 

There  are  many  reasons  why  the  duty  of  leadership  in  evangelizing 
Russia  falls  to  America.  And  the  reasons  are  exactly  the  same  which 
now  call  America  to  the  front  everywhere.  America  has  the  means. 
America  has  the  strength.  America  has  the  mind.  America  is  the 
only  strong,  free  nation  on  earth  not  on  her  knee  in  a  death-struggle 
for  her  existence.  America  is  yet  free  to  act  and  free  to  think.  But 
besides  these  reasons  why  America  should  assume  leadership,  there  are 
considerations  which  make  it  desirable  in  the  extreme  that  the  leader- 
ship at  this  time  be  American  not  only  in  name  but  in  spirit.  America 
is  just  now  entrusted  with  the  cause  of  popular  freedom  and  democratic 
principles  in  the  whole  world.  As  long  as  America  is  in  the  lead  and 
remains  true  to  her  traditions  and  her  ideals,  there  is  hope  everywhere. 
With  America  defeated,  physically  and  morally,  the  defeat  will  be 
universal  and  for  long  dark  ages  to  come.  In  this  light  the  decision 
on  the  part  of  America  to  enter  into  the  fight  was  the  greatest  risk 
ever  taken  in  human  history  by  responsible  leaders  of  the  cause  of 
freedom.  And  the  only  defense  for  taking  that  risk  is  the  conviction, 
to  which  at  this  time  we  all  must  have  come,  that  not  to  take  this  risk 
had  been  an  even  greater  risk  to  the  cause  of  freedom  and  humanity. 
The  risk  then  was  as  necessary  as  it  was  great.  There  was  in  fact 
no  choice. 

While  that  is  so  and  while  America  by  reason  of  her  strength  and  a 
world  call  assumes  her  leadership  today  on  the  battlefields  and  tomor- 
row in  the  councils  of  the  nations,  it  is  important  that  she  be  led  now 
to  commit  herself  to  a  right  attitude  toward  the  Russian  people  and 
the  Russian  problems,  to  solve  them  in  the  spirit  not  only  of  fairness 
but  of  true  Christianity.  Nothing  less  will  establish  a  lasting  basis  for 
influences  which  shall  be  truly  beneficial  to  Russia  and  honorable  to 
us.  Perhaps  this  conference  is  given  the  great  function,  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  to  help  commit  America  to  such  a  policy  by  turning  the 
minds  of  many  Americans  toward  the  real  need  of  Russia  and  by 
starting  a  movement  to  furnish  her  with  the  one  thing  which  can 
meet  that  need. 


Rev.  David  Nyvall  61 

The  Duty  of  Christian  America 

The  demand  that  America  assume  leadership  in  evangelizing  Russia 
becomes  the  more  imperative  when  we  realize  the  commercial  leader- 
ship which  America  has  already  assumed  and  will  be  sure  to  seek  after 
the  war.  If  in  the  race  for  supremacy  in  Russia,  sure  to  follow  the 
war,  exploitation  shall  not  run  ahead  of  civilization,  it  is  imperative 
that  the  American  Bible  shall  go  as  far  and  as  fast  as  the  American 
dollar;  it  is  imperative  that  American  ideals  shall  not  be  lagging  be- 
hind where  American  business  rushes  to  the  front;  it  is  imperative  that 
American  faith  shall  follow  the  flag  just  as  closely  as  American  grit. 
And  it  is  the  duty  of  Christian  America  to  see  that  this  is  done. 

For  this  it  is  well  that  we  pray  and  pray  unceasingly,  but  it  is  just 
as  necessary  that  we  think  and  plan  and  act  practically  and  in  union 
with  forces  which  can  be  successfully  enlisted  into  service.  A  letter 
is  after  all  just  as  effective  as  its  address.  We  may  talk  and  plan  here 
but  we  must  be  able  to  act  there.  How  are  we  going  to  do  it?  It  does 
not  seem  to  be  possible  just  now  except  through  some  connection  with 
our  government,  the  Red  Cross  or  some  other  acknowledged  war  organ- 
ization. And  while  I  do  not  undertake  to  advise  the  conference  as  to 
what  can  practically  be  done,  it  seems  to  me  that  there  are  hardly  more 
than  two  alternatives.  This  conference  may  be  satisfied  to  awaken 
interest,  to  spread  information,  to  prepare  the  minds  for  future  ac- 
tivities. The  conference  may  organize  forces  for  educational  work  of 
this  kind  here  in  America.  Or,  the  conference  may  decide  to  enter 
Russia  at  once  to  watch  whatever  chances  there  might  be  for  Gospel 
work,  in  which  case  I  know  of  no  other  way  open  but  to  enlist  with  the 
government  for  services  in  cooperation  with  whatsoever  forces  can  be 
found  to  further  the  ambition  of  this  conference  to  evangelize  Russia. 


THE  GREAT  OPPORTUNITY  IN  PRESENT 
WORLD  CONDITIONS 

By  REV.  GUSTAF  F.  JOHNSON 

PAUL,  the  great  apostle,  with  three  of  his  associates,  Silas,  his 
chosen  companion,  Timothy,  the  young  convert,  and  Luke,  the 
beloved  physician,  were  on  a  missionary  tour  in  Asia  Minor. 
They  called  at  some  places  where  they  had  established  churches  on 
former  occasions  and  strengthened  the  brethren;  they  preached  also 
in  new  places,  until  they  had  practically  covered  all  the  territory  in 
Asia.  Then  it  is  that  we  meet  this  strange  announcement  in  the 
record : 

"Now  when  they  had  gone  throughout  Phrygia  and  the  region  of 
Galatia,  and  were  forbidden  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  preach  the  word 
in  Asia,  after  they  were  come  to  Mysia,  they  assayed  to  go  into 
Bithynia:  but  the  Spirit  suffered  them  not"   (Acts  16:6,  7). 

Now,  if  you  will  look  at  the  map,  you  will  notice  that  they  are  going 
west,  or  northwest,  in  Asia  Minor.  They  were  nearing  the  end  of  the 
continent.  Then  suddenly — The  Holy  Ghost  fo7-bade  them  to  preach 
there! 

Strange  that!  Were  they  not  to  preach  to  all  men?  Yes,  that  was 
the  Master's  orders.  And  yet  the  Holy  Ghost  forbade  them  to  preach. 
When  not  allowed  to  preach  where  they  were,  they  tried  another  field. 
"They  assayed  to  go  into  Bithynia."  That  is,  they  turned  north.  What 
would  have  happened,  if  they  had  been  allowed  to  continue  in  that 
direction?  They  would  in  a  short  time  have  reached  the  Black  Sea, 
and  then  naturally  turned  right  and  gone  back  east  again.  "But  the 
Spirit  suffered  them  not"!  Again  their  plans  changed  by  the  hand 
of  the  Lord. 

Every  avenue  closed,  except  to  go  right  on  ahead,  and  there  was 
the  sea  and  the  end  of  the  continent.  What  were  they  to  do?  "They 
came  down  to  Troas."  That  was  as  far  as  they  could  go,  for  it  was 
the  end  of  Asia.  Beyond  was  the  sea  and  the  other  continent,  Europe, 
"the  foreign  field." 

And  night  came  on  and  Paul  went  to  sleep — and  had  a  vision.  Paul 
saw  a  man  from  the  other  side,  and  heard  his  call  for  help.  "And 
immediately  u)€  endeavored  to  go  into  Macedonia."  Please  notice  the 
change  of  pronoun.     It  is  "we"  now.     The  narrator,  Luke,  became  so 

63 


Rev,  Gustaf  F.  Johnson  63 

interested,  after  Paul  had  seen  that  vision,  that  he  joined  with  him 
in  soul  and  heart,  and  says  "we."  We  often  meet  people  in  our 
churches  who  stand  on  the  outskirts  and  look  on  when  any  great 
undertaking  for  the  Lord  is  launched,  and  say:  "What  are  'they' 
going  to  do  now?" 

If  the  undertaking  is  successful  they  will  shout:  "We  have  suc- 
ceeded!" Better  come  into  the  love-bound  "we"-circle,  brother,  while 
the  fight  is  on.  Luke  came  into  the  "we"  when  the  venture  of  faith 
was  launched,  when  he  was  most  needed.  When  victory  is  won  there 
will  be  plenty  of  shouters.  What  we  want  is  men  who  will  join  the 
"we"  when  the  world  looks  on  in  disapproval. 

"After  we  had  seen  the  vision,  immediately  we  endeavored  to  go." 
"Loosing  from  Troas,  we  came  with  a  straight  course."  Gospel  se- 
quence in  gospel  work!  "Vision — immediately — straight  course."  Not 
much  about  committees  or  boards  or  endowments.  And  so  the  Gospel 
goes  into  Macedonia  and  the  first  Gospel  meeting  in  Europe  is  held 
by  four  foreign  preachers,  poor  immigrants. 

Now,  I  want  you  to  notice  that  the  Lord  sometimes  does 

Strange  Things 

The  Lord  does  not  run  His  trains  according  to  our  schedules.  He 
usually  works  contrary  to  preconceived  notions.  He  carries  on  His 
work  frequently  in  entirely  different  manner  than  we  had  planned. 
We  stand  sometimes  and  look  for  the  Lord  at  the  front  door — and  He 
comes  in  through  the  kitchen!  And  because  He  comes  in  an  un- 
expected way,  and  in  an  unlooked-for  manner,  we  fail  to  recognize 
Him! 

How  often  have  we  not  heard  Christians,  good  old  people,  pray: 
"Lord,  send  us  a  revival!"  And  the  Lord  would  send  them  some 
little  preacher  that  did  not  look  the  way  they  thought  an  evangelist 
ought  to  look,  and  they  would  say:  "We  want  an  evangelist,  not  this 
man."  The  Lord  wanted  to  set  the  community  on  fire  by  this  man, 
but  the  good  old  deacons  wanted  a  "regular"  preacher.  Many  a  church 
wants  a  revival  all  right;  they  want  to  be  set  on  fire  for  God,  but  it 
must  be  done  in  the  conventional  way.  Should  the  fire  start  in  a  dif- 
ferent way  than  they  expected,  they  may  do  as  the  colored  brother 
said:  "Brethren,  if  there  is  a  spark  of  grace  in  your  hearts,  water 
it,  water  it!" 

I  do  not  care  what  way  the  Lord  comes,  just  so  He  comes.  Through 
front  door  or  kitchen,  through  expected  or  unexpected  avenues,  let 
Him  only  come!  You  remember  how  some  personal  workers  brought 
a  fellow  to  the  Lord  in  a  peculiar  way  once  upon  a  time.  They  had  to 
go  through  the  roof.  I  can  imagine  the  Pharisees  looking  up,  rubbing 
the  dust  out  of  their  eyes,  and  saying:     "This  is  very  unconventional." 


64  The  Great  Opportunity 

But  what  of  conventionality,  when  they  got  the  poor  fellow  to  Jesus? 
The  trouble  with  seme  of  us  is  that  we  expect  the  Lord  to  repeat 
Himself.  We  saw  the  Lord's  work  in  our  youth  and  think  that  any- 
thing that  is  not  done  in  the  same  manner,  can  never  be  from  God. 
And  so  we  sometimes  come  to  oppose  the  Lord.  God  save  us  from 
that! 

When  a  pastor  in  a  western  state  some  years  ago,  some  of  my  par- 
ishioners came  to  me  one  day  and  said:  "Pastor,  there  is  a  man  down 
town  who  preaches  and  breaks  horses  at  the  same  time,  what  do  you 
think  of  him?"  I  said:  "How  can  he  break  horses  and  preach  at  the 
same  time?"  "Oh,"  they  said,  "he  is  not  in  a  church,  he  is  on  the 
street," 

So  I  went  to  see  this  strange  sight.  There  was  a  man  on  the  street- 
corner,  breaking  a  broncho  for  a  farmer,  free  of  charge,  and  while  the 
broncho,  head  and  tail  tied  together,  danced  around  on  a  vacant  lot, 
the  brother  was  preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  crowd  that  had  gathered. 

After  a  while  I  went  and  spoke  to  him,  and  asked  him  about  his 
work.  He  said:  "Brother,  when  I  was  converted  the  only  thing  I 
could  do  well,  was  to  break  horses.  So  I  thought  I  might  ply  my 
trade  and  at  the  same  time  serve  the  Lord.  Now  you  see  I  reach 
some  people  that  you  never  could  get  inside  a  church."  And  he  cer- 
tainly did.  I  told  my  people  to  help  the  brother  all  they  could.  As 
long  as  he  preached  Jesus  it  did  not  concern  me  that  he  went  about 
it  in  a  strange  way.  The  Lord  blessed  his  work,  and  that  is  the  chief 
thing. 

The  Lord  did  a  very  strange  thing  when  he  closed  the  door  of  the 
Gospel  and  forbade  the  preachers  to  speak.  But  he  did  so  because  he 
wanted  them  to  go  through 

The  Door  That  Was  Open 

It  is  just  as  great  a  mistake  to  try  to  get  your  head  through  a  door 
that  the  Lord  has  closed,  as  it  is  to  fail  to  enter  one  that  He  has 
opened.  It  seems  to  me  that  some  doors  are  being  closed  in  this 
country.  We  find  crowds  of  church  members  in  this  country,  who  are 
hardened  to  the  Gospel.  In  a  critical  spirit  they  will  discuss  the 
preacher  and  his  delivery  instead  of  the  message,  the  shell  instead 
of  the  kernel.  They  will  antagonize  anything  that  cuts  into  their 
hearts.  Preaching  to  such  is  usually  vain.  Why  try  to  enter  closed 
doors? 

May  we  not  look  for  doors  to  open  through  the  present  world  con- 
flict, doors  that  have  been  closed  for  centuries?  You  know  the  Lord 
uses  the  world  governments,  the  world  armies,  sometimes  to  further 
His  plans,  to  bring  about  things  that  the  world  does  not  understand, 
cannot  see,  and  would  not  respect  could  it  see  them.     The  Lord  set 


Rev.  Gust  a  f  F.  Johnson  65 

the  whole  Roman  world  in  commotion  to  bring  a  young  woman  to  the 
little  town  where  she  was  born.  To  the  Roman  government  taxes 
were  the  chief  thing;  to  heaven  Mary's  coming  to  Bethlehem  was  the 
object.  And  Caesar  decreed,  and  the  clerks  wrote,  and  wheels  turned, 
and  armies  marched,  and  Mary  was  brought  where  God  wanted  her. 

The  Lord  wanted  Paul  in  Rome  and  He  let  the  Roman  government 
pay  the  fare.  Jonah  ran  away  from  the  Lord  and  had  to  pay  his  own 
fare  but  Paul  travelled  free  because  he  was  in  the  way  of  his  Master. 

How  little  did  the  great  ones  of  the  earth  know  that  the  Lord  was 
using  them  as  His  errand  boys.  How  they  would  have  balked  and 
rebelled  had  they  known  it.  Today  the  Lord  is  carrying  out  His  plans. 
Out  of  the  present  choas  He  will  bring  about  the  great  things  of  His 
eternal  counsels.  While  some  doors  may  be  closed  to  us  by  this  very 
conflict,  others  will  open  and  the  hand  of  the  Lord  will  control  the 
decrees  issued  from  the  capitals  of  the  world. 

Now  Paul  was  at  Troas,  facing  the  new  continent  across  the  narrow 
strip  of  water.  That  was  historic  ground.  Alexander  had  been  there, 
Caesar  had  been  there  and  here  was  a  new  conqueror.  Alexander  and 
Caesar  had  seen  visions,  too,  visions  of  great  victories,  kingdoms  sub- 
dued, thrones  fallen  and  great  conquests.    This  man  also  saw 

A  Vision 

not  a  vision  of  bloody  conquest  or  human  glory.  There  he  stood  before 
the  gates  of  Europe,  ready  to  enter  in  with  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 
He  had  been  forced  down  to  the  coast  by  the  Spirit  closing  doors 
around  him,  and  now  the  Lord  beckoned  to  him  through  a  vision. 

What  would  have  happened  if  the  Spirit  had  allowed  Paul  to  go  east 
at  that  time?  Turning  north,  they  soon  would  have  reached  the  Black 
Sea,  then  turning  east,  they  would  have  soon  reached  the  Caspian 
Sea.  Then  some  of  Paul's  followers  would  have  turned  south,  to 
Turkestan,  India  and  China.  Others  would  have  turned  north,  into 
Russia,  with  headquarters  probably  in  Tiflis,  the  Chicago  of  Russia. 
Then  tonight  there  would  have  been  a  great  conference  like  this  one, 
but  not  in  Chicago  but  maybe  in  Tiflis.  It  would  not  have  been  a 
conference  for  the  evangelization  of  Russia,  but  a  conference  for  the 
evangelization  of  America.  And  Brother  Fetler  maybe  would  be  there, 
and  Brother  Neprash  and  other  Russian  brethren,  and  they  would  be 
discussing  ways  and  means  to  send  the  Gospel  to  us  here  in  the  west. 
Brethren,  do  you  not  feel  like  thanking  the  Lord  for  heading  that  little 
band  westward  and  closing  every  other  door  around  them. 

Now,  why  did  God  close  the  eastern  doors  to  Paul?  Did  He  care 
less  for  the  eastern  peoples?  No!  God  cares  for  the  whole  world — 
Germany  included.  You  good  Americans  should  have  said  "Amen" 
then.     Do  not  think  that  God's  heart  is  frozen  toward  that  nation. 


66  The  Great  Opportunity 

God  loves — loves — the  world,  and  so  does  God's  people.  God  cared  for 
the  people  of  the  orient  as  much  as  He  cares  for  us,  but  for  reasons 
that  probably  He  only  knows.  He  decreed  that  the  Gospel  should  go 
west,  and  in  going  west  it  entered  Europe  and  conquered  and  continued 
west  until  It  reached  the  American  shores.  From  New  England  it 
travelled  over  the  vast  expanse  of  the  American  continent  and  reach- 
ing our  western  shores  it  did  not  stop  but  continued,  as  it  should,  to 
Japan  and  China  and  India.  But  somehow  we  avoided  the  north.  We 
sent  our  missionaries  west  to  Japan,  China  and  India  and  the  islands 
of  the  sea,  but  why  have  we  avoided  the  great  north,  Russia?  If  we 
have  been  swept  under  the  banner  of  Christ  by  the  westward  march 
of  the  Gospel  triumphant,  is  it  not  our  blessed  duty  to 

Go  West 

even  as  Paul  did?  We  are  now  facing  the  country  on  which  Paul 
turned  his  back  -for  our  sokes,  as  it  were.  The  Gospel  having  gone 
around  the  world,  we  are  face  to  face  with  the  country  on  which  he 
turned  his  back  at  the  bidding  of  the  Spirit. 

When  Professor  David  Nyvall  spoke  here  today,  I  learned  some- 
thing about  the  missions  of  my  own  denomination,  that  was  of  great 
interest  to  me.  A^ou  know  Sweden  had  missionaries  in  Russia  years 
ago,  at  the  time  Russia  was  practically  a  closed  field.  Russian  autoc- 
racy did  not  want  the  Gospel  and  our  missionaries  were  driven  out. 
When  our  missionaries  from  Sweden  were  driven  out,  the  sister  church 
in  this  country  decided  to  send  missionaries  to  Alaska,  to  be  on  the 
lookout  there  for  the  first  opening  to  enter  Russia  from  the  back 
door. 

If  you  will  look  at  the  map  you  will  discover  a  singular  resemblance 
between  Asia  Minor  and  Alaska — both  of  them  peninsulas  looking 
across  a  narrow  strip  of  water  to  another  continent.  When  I  see  our 
missionaries  up  there  in  Alaska,  looking  across  the  straits,  ready  to 
jump  over,  into  Russia's  back  door,  with  the  Gospel,  I  cannot  but 
remember  the  band  of  four  at  Troas,  ready  to  jump  across,  from  Asia 
to  Europe. 

Paul  saw  a  vision.  Have  you  had  your  vision  yet?  "Oh,"  says  some- 
one, "you  are  visionaries;  I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  you."  Brother, 
do  you  know  it  takes  visionaries  to  become  good  missionaries?  Colum- 
bus was  a  visionary.  If  he  had  not  had  his  dreams  the  only  Americans 
there  would  have  been  today,  would  have  been  the  redskins.  Thank 
God,  Paul  was  a  visionary.  He  saw  more  than  common,  matter-of-fact, 
materialists  ever  can  see.     He  saw 

A  Mail 

We  have  heard  today  about  Russia's  one  hundred  eighty  two  mil- 
lions.    Just  forget  the  great  multitude  for  a  moment.     Don't  think 


Bev.  Gustaf  F.  Johnson  67 

about  millions.  I  want  you  to  see  a  man!  A  man!  His  heart  beats 
just  like  yours,  his  joys,  his  sorrows  are  the  same  as  yours.  He  loves, 
he  fears,  he  hopes  as  you  do.  A  man!  There  he  stands,  over  in  Russia 
and  calls  to  you!  Place  yourself  in  his  position,  try  to  feel  as  he  does. 
Do  you  get  that  vision?  If  you  do,  then  multiply  it  hy  one  hundred 
eighty -two  million!  That's  Russia!  What  response  are  you  going  to 
give  to  that  vision? 

Paul  saw  the  man,  heard  his  call  for  help  and  responded  immedi- 
ately. Jesus  saw  the  multitudes  and  His  heart  was  overwhelmed  with 
compassion.  The  teeming  millions  of  Russia  today — each  individual 
just  like  yourself — calls  to  you  for 

Help 

"Come  over,  and  help  us,"  said  the  man  in  the  vision.  And  that  call 
can  be  heard  in  tones  of  thunder  from  Russia  today.  Some  will  say: 
"Let  us  send  her  armies."  Maybe.  "She  needs  leaders,"  say  some. 
Maybe.  "Money,"  "bread,"  shout  others.  Maybe.  But  the  greatest 
help  we  can  give  Russia  today  is  the  Word  of  God. 

In  his  book,  "Souls  In  Khaki,"  Mr.  Arthur  Copping  tells  of  a  British 
soldier,  both  hands  shot  off,  cuddling  a  Bible,  holding  it  close  to  his 
bosom  with  the  handless  arms,  saying:  "It  saved  my  life,  it  saved  my 
life." 

Poor  wounded  Russia  needs  the  Word  of  God,  nothing  but  that  will 
save  her  life.  When  the  man  in  the  vision  asked  Paul  for  help  he 
did  not  ask  for  philosophy  or  art  or  armies — Europe  had  all  that  and 
Paul  had  nothing  in  that  line  to  give.  But  when  that  little  company  of 
four  crossed  over  from  Asia,  they  brought  the  greatest  gift  Europe 
had  ever  received,  the  Gospel  of  Jesus.  That  was  help,  the  real  help, 
the  only  help.  It  is  not  often  I  wish  I  was  a  millionaire,  but  when  I 
see  these  young  Russians  sitting  behind  me  on  the  platform,  then  I 
wish  I  was  a  millionaire  so  I  could  send  everyone  of  them  to  Russia 
with  the  Gospel. 

"We  gathered,"  says  Luke,  "that  the  Lord  had  called  us,  and  im- 
mediately we  went." 

Immediately! 

What  about  the  mission  board  and  the  passports  and  the  equipment 
and  all  that?  Brethren,  I  have,  I  think,  the  necessary  respect  for 
machinery,  for  organization  and  proper  equipment.  But  there  are 
times  when  waiting  for  the  slow-moving  machinery  of  committees 
would  be  disobedience  to  the  Spirit  of  God. 

We  plan  to  get  three  million  dollars  for  work  in  Russia.  But  if  we 
do  not  get  the  dollars  we  will  not  stop  for  that.    The  power  of  God  is 


68  The  Great  OpporUmity 

more  than  dollars.     A   little  company  of  four,  minus  money,  minus  ' 
influence,  minus  backing,  minus  everything  that  counts  with  men,  but 
plus  God  and  the  vision  and  the  burning  heart  brought  the  Gospel  to 
Europe.     Had  they  waited  for  the  influential  men  to  bring  in  the  mil- 
lions God  would  have  set  them  aside  and  chosen  other  messengers. 

"Immediately!"  I  like  that  word.  There  is  a  rush  about  it.  Paul 
and  Silas  and  Timothy  and  Luke  must  have  been  Rush-ians.  There 
was  not  much  parleying.  A  vision — God's  will  is  clear — and  they  went. 
That  was  all. 

I've  heard  about  two  blacksmiths,  both  of  whom  stuttered  badly. 
The  one  put  the  redhot  iron  on  the  anvil,  and  said:  "N-n-n-now  -s-s-s- 
strike!"  "W-w-w-where  s-s-s-shall  I  s-s-s-strike?"  asked  the  other. 
"N-n-n-never  m-m-m-mind,   it's   c-c-c-cold  now,"   was   the   reply. 

That  is  often  the  trouble  with  our  conferences  and  parleyings.  We 
stutter  too  much,  we  hesitate  and  talk,  and  then  talk  some  more,  and 
stutter  until  the  opportunity  is  past. 

"A  Long  Time  Coming" 

S.  D.  Gordon  tells  a  touching  incident  in  one  of  his  books.  Into  a 
poor  laboring  man's  home  the  plague  had  come.  The  father  and  the 
children  had  been  carried  out  until  at  last  there  remained  but  two, 
the  mother  and  her  baby  boy  of  perhaps  flve  years.  The  little  fellow 
crept  up  to  his  mother  one  evening  and  said,  "Mother,  father's  dead, 
and  my  brothers  and  sisters  are  dead,  too.  If  you  die,  what'll  I  do?" 
The  mother  said,  "If  I  die,  Jesus  will  come  for  you."  That  was  satis- 
factory to  the  little  fellow,  as  he  had  been  taught  about  Jesus. 

His  question  proved  only  too  prophetic.  The  mother  was  soon  gone. 
Strange  hands  laid  her  away  and  in  the  sore  stress  of  the  times  the 
boy  was  forgotten.  He  tried  to  sleep  in  that  lonely  home,  but  could 
not.  Late  at  night  he  got  up  and  found  his  way  to  the  place  where 
they  had  put  his  mother.     There  he  cried  himself  to  sleep. 

Early  next  morning  a  gentleman  passed  by  and  saw  the  little  boy 
on  the  grave.  Suspecting  some  sad  story  he  asked  him,  "My  boy,  wake 
up,  what  are  you  doing  there  alone?"  The  boy  awoke,  rubbed  his  eyes 
and  said,  "Father's  dead  and  brother's  dead  and  sister's  dead,  and  now 
mother's  dead,  too,  and  she  said  if  she  died  Jesus  would  come  for  me, 
and  He  hasn't  come  yet,  and  I'm  so  tired  waiting." 

The  man  swallowed  something  in  his  throat  and  said,  "Well,  my  boy, 
I've  come  for  you."  And  the  little  lad  looked  at  him  with  his  big 
eyes  and  said,  "I  think  you've  been  a  long  time  coming." 

The  King's  business  requires  haste,  and  there  ought  to  be  an  im- 
mediateness  about  our  work  for  Christ,  or  someone  will  be  saying, 
"You've  been  a  long  time  coming." 

Do  you  ask  how  Gospel  messengers  will  be  received  in  Russia?   How 


Uev.  Gustaf  F.  Johnson  69 

did  Europe  receive  the  mission  from  Asia?  With  mockery  and  prisons 
and  beatings.  But  Paul  did  not  stop  to  inquire  about  that  matter. 
Brother  Fetler  tell  us  that  Russia  is  open  to  the  Gospel.  That  may  be, 
brother.  But  somehow  I  do  not  trust  those  Bolsheviki  over  much. 
That  is  not  the  question,  however.  The  conquerors  under  the  banner 
of  Jesus  do  not  stop  to  ask  about  their  reception. 

Our  orders  are  clear,  we  have  seen  the  vision,  and  by  the  grace  of 
God  we  are  going  across. 


THE  INSPIRING  VISION  OF  A 
REGENERATED  RUSSIA 

By  REV.  A.  B.  WINCHESTER 

WHAT  about  the  vision  of  Russia?  Is  it  a  very  inspiring  thing 
in  this  hour  of  the  twentieth  century?  What  think  ye? 
I  am  afraid  that  many  of  you  are  equally  culpable  with  my- 
self in  the  extent  of  the  ignorance  that  I  have  had  of  this  great  country 
until  comparatively  recently,  when  I  reduced  the  ignorance  a  very 
little  bit,  but  I  am  trying  to  reduce  it  a  little  more  day  by  day.  It  was 
not  that  I  had  not  read  about  Russia.  It  was  not  that  we  had  not 
studied  something  of  its  history,  both  in  the  books  that  are  permanent 
as  history  and  also  in  more  recent  and  ephemeral  literature,  that  is,  to 
say,  current  history,  day  by  day;  but  we  forgot  to  ask  questions  as  to 
who  they  were  that  supplied  us  with  the  facts,  and  we  forgot  to  ask 
other  questions  we  should  have  asked.  We  forgot  to  ask  through  what 
glasses  they  were  looking,  when  they  saw  certain  things  that  they 
thought  they  saw,  and  some  of  them  did  not  exist  at  all.  I  think  that 
a  large  part  of  what  we  have  read  has  passed  for  history,  at  least  with 
some  of  us. 

To  begin  with,  the  land  is  geographically  far  distant  from  us.  Their 
very  alphabet  so  diverse  from  our  own,  and  their  language  and  their 
literature  and  their  habits,  and  altogether  they  seem  to  be  so  remote 
from  us  that  we  have  been  willing  to  take  almost  anybody's  estimate 
of  this  great  people.  Of  course,  we  are  glad  that  we  have  always  had 
a  little  saving  remnant  of  knowledge  that  we  were  reasonably  sure 
about  and  that  concerning  some  of  the  great  names  in  the  history  of 
Russia  we  had  no  doubt;  for  it  has  been  so  that  some  of  the  leaders 
in  every  department  of  human  thought  and  human  action  have  been 
men  who  claimed  Russia  as  their  home.  There  is  not  a  single  depart- 
ment in  art  or  literature  but  has  had  great  names  that  can  well  stand 
beside  the  best  we  have  had.  Today  probably  the  leading  physicist  of 
the  world  is  a  Russian,  a  man  who  took  the  first  prize  in  that  line. 

Russia   Much   Misunderstood 

If  you  read  that  little  book  by  J.  W.  MacKail,  "Russia's  Gift  to  the 
World,"  you  will  be  surprised  and  gratified  to  learn  of  some  of  the 
really  great  men  that  Russia  has  and  has  had.  It  is  a  little  book, 
but  it  will  give  you  a  knowledge  of  these  facts,  if  you  want  them.  Then 
I  would  advise  any  of  you,  if  you  have  not  already  done  so,  to  consult 
a  number  of  the  London  Times  of  September  30,  1916,  a  special  Russian 

70 


Rev.  A.  B.  Winchester  71 

number.  I  would  advise  you  to  look  at  that.  It  gives  a  very  sobering 
influence  to  those  of  us  who  have  been  hearing  in  the  past  much  of  the 
Russians.  It  has  a  sobering  effect  to  just  go  back  and  acknowledge 
the  echo  of  the  admiring  word  spoken  by  a  very  conservative  critic 
of  the  London  Times,  and  he  is  putting  his  hands  up  and  saying,  "Now 
don't  get  excited.  Of  course  we  all  are  fille'd  with  admiration  for  the 
magnificent  people  whose  army  has  stood  the  pounding  of  months  when 
it  didn't  have  munitions  enough  and  were  not  allowed  to  fire  the  muni- 
tions they  did  have,  and  they  took  that  pounding,  and  as  Doctor  Hill, 
a  physician  from  the  United  States,  who  was  in  the  Russian  Army, 
tells  in  his  story  in  another  place,  when  he  saw  a  hundred  thousand 
men  go  to  a  thing  that  no  men  except  those  of  the  sternest  resolve  and 
fearless  of  death,  so  that  they  might  do  their  duty,  could  do.  He  saw 
a  hundred  thousand  men  go,  and  but  ten  thousand  of  them  come  back. 
He  had  seen  Russian  soldiers  go  day  after  day,  of  different  regiments; 
and  perhaps  out  of  the  twelve  hundred  men  three  hundred  would  come 
back.  And  tomorrow  others  would  face  it  again,  and  tomorrow  again 
and  tomorrow  again,  until  at  last  they  said,  "What  is  the  use?"  There 
are  today  many  people  in  this  country  who  are  talking  about  them  as 
though  they  were  the  chief  ones  upon  whom  the  responsibility  rests 
ior  the  war  that  is  now  going  on.  They  say,  "If  they  only  had  kept  on, 
then  it  would  have  been  all  right;  but  at  the  wrong  moment  their 
debacle  turned  back  the  clock  and  prolonged  the  war."  They  didn't  do 
that.    It  is  simply  a  base  slander  to  speak  in  any  such  terms. 

John  R.  Mott's  Testimony 

Dr.  John  R.  Mott  tells,  and  he  has  a  right  to  tell  us,  for  he  knows 
his  Russia  very  well,  when  he  says,  "I  don't  understand  Russia,  but  I 
believe  in  it."  Well,  if  John  R.  Mott  says  that,  I  don't  know  what  the 
rest  of  us,  or  some  of  the  rest  of  us,  can  do  but  say,  "I  too  do  believe 
in  it,"  as  he  does.  But  he  tells  us  that  Russia  has  been  standing  most 
loyally  by  all  that  they  believed  to  be  their  duty  until  certain  fire 
brands  sprang  up  within  themselves  inflaming  and  so  bemuddling  the 
people  that  they  were  as  sheep  led  to  the  shambles.  But  when  we  think 
that  three  million  fathers,  sons,  brothers  of  the  Russian  army  lie  under 
the  sod,  having  given  themselves,  as  they  believed,  that  liberty  might 
be  given  or  retained  to  the  world — three  millions  of  them  suffered  the 
extreme  penalty  of  loyalty  and  two  millions  more  maimed  for  life, 
more  than  all  the  allied  forces  put  together;  and  two  millions  more 
were  interned  in  the  central  powers  of  Europe;  when  you  think  of 
what  they  have  suffered  to  the  very  limit  of  sacrifice;  and  then  to 
hear  contemptuous  criticisms  of  Russia  from  those  who  have  not  lifted 
a  finger  to  prevent  rampant  militarism  from  crushing  the  liberty  of 
mankind,  it  is  difficult  to  keep  indignation  within  bounds.     It  is  John 


72  TJie  Inspiring  Vision  of  a  Regenerated  Russia 

R.  Mott,  a  most  loyal  citizen  of  the  United  States,  that  says  his  own 
beloved  and  revered  nation  waited  three  years,  when  Russia  was  stand- 
ing, and,  in  the  providence  of  God,  the  first  year  it  was  the  chief 
obstacle  to  the  domination  of  Prussian  militarism.  Prussian  militarism 
would  have  been  over  the  world  today,  humanly  speaking,  but  for  what 
they  did.  In  this  day  of  poor  Russia's  sorrow  let  that  be  gratefully 
spoken  about  her. 

Russia's  Political    Crisis 

Consider  what  happened  in  Russia  that  day  last  year,  March  15th,  at 
midnight,  when  the  last  of  the  Romanoffs  abdicated  his  throne,  that 
day  when  the  people  passed  through  their  political  revolution,  when 
tens  of  thousands  of  criminals  were  let  loose.    On  that  day  something 
like  a  hundred  eighty  thousand  policemen  through  the  empire  were 
given  their  freedom,  if  you  may  so  call  it,  or  their  marching  orders, 
as  you  please.     Try  to  grasp  that  most  impressive  historical  crisis. 
I  venture  to  say  it  would  not  be  safe  in  Britain  or  in  the  United  States 
(without  controversy  two  of  the  most  advanced  in  the  Christian  re- 
ligion of  the  nations)  under  such  conditions.     I  venture  to  affirm  they 
would  not  have  stood  the  test  as  well  as  Russia  did.     Then  right  on 
the  top  of  that  political  revolution  there  came  an  economic  revolution, 
an  economic  revolution  that  has  been  going  on  here  and  in  Britain 
and  in  Scandinavia  and  all  over  the  world.     Dr.  John  R.  Mott  and 
others  have  told  us  of  things  prepared  with  demonical  subtlety  and 
deceit  by  Germany  that  were  ready  immediately  when  the  Czar  abdi- 
cated.   For  example,  they  had  one  large  lithograph  representing  a  war- 
worn  and  weary  Russian  soldier  coming  up  out  of  a  slimy  trench,  and 
yonder  was  a  beautiful  field  of  wheat  waving  with  its  golden  grain, 
and  just  in  the  middle  ground  were  little  children  running  with  their 
arms  out,  beckoning  him.     But  between  the  slimy  trench  and  all  that 
picture  of  love  and  home,  and  children,  there  stood  two  malign  and 
sinister  figures.    They  were  the  United  States  and  John  Bull,  and  both 
of  these  with  clenched  fists  are  saying  to  the  soldier:     "You  haven't 
finished  your  job  for  us  yet.    You  must  fight  for  our  capital,  and  when 
you  have  won  the  war  for  us,  then  we  will  let  you  out  of  the  trenches." 
That    was    the    lying    representation    of    Germany    concerning    Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States  at  such  a  time;   and  there  were  many 
other  things  like  that.    Do  you  wonder  that  with  the  I.  W.  W.  working 
and  the  socialists  working  that  such  things  came  out?     You  say  that 
the  Russian  soldiers  turned  and  ran.     Never.     There  are  today  parts 
of  the  Russian  army  and  parts  of  the  Russian  navy  standing  as  surely 
and  as  strongly  as  any  part  of  the  armies  of  any  of  the  allied  forces. 
You  have  Semenoff  in  Siberia,  and  you  have  others  standing  here  and 
there,  apparently  submissive  to  the  Bolsheviki.     They  seem  to  be  so 


Rev.  A.  B.  Winchester  73 

only  and  will  yet  prove  their  loyalty  to  the  allied  cause  when  they  are 
free  to  act. 

Appreciation  of  America's  President 

I  am  not  here  speaking  of  the  duty  of  any  nation,  but  incidentally 
I  want  to  say  that  I  wish  I  had  the  ear  of  that  great  man  whom  God 
has  given  you  in  this  hour  of  defending  the  nation,  I  would  that  I  had 
the  ear  of  President  Wilson,  and  I  would  say  to  him,  "I  thank  you, 
Sir,  for  the  noble  manly  words  full  of  sympathy  and  of  hope  which 
you  have  spoken  about  Russia."  I  would  also  say  "Do  what  you  can  to 
send  some  forces  in  there  as  soon  as  possible,  to  assist  the  men  who 
are  there  now  and  under  reliable  leadership  are  ready  to  fight."  Rus- 
sia has,  as  Dr.  Mott  has  said,  great  leaders  at  the  top,  and  she  has  also 
a  weak  middle.  They  haven't  confidence  in  one  another.  They  need 
to  have  some  one  to  come  in  from  without,  but  my  prayer  is  that  we 
shall  be  able  to  send  a  band  of  gospellers,  whatever  the  nations  may 
do,  that  we  shall  send  a  band  of  gospellers  who  shall  go  in  and  speak 
the  word  they  most  need  there.  Supposing  that  Russia  were  the  most 
wicked  nation  in  the  world.  I  am  saying  supposing  that,  for  it  is  very 
far  from  that,  but  supposing  that  she  were;  or,  if  you  will,  supposing 
that  she  has  come  right  now  to  the  darkest  point  in  her  history,  to  the 
lowest  ebb  spiritually,  then  I  say,  is  when  she  needs  it  most  of  all. 
What  do  I  mean?  You  must  have  a  positive  and  a  negative  electric 
current  in  order  to  have  great  brilliancy.  It  is  true  equally  in  the 
moral  realm.  When  God's  loving-kindness  and  righteousness.  His 
positive  love  and  goodness  meet  man's  unrighteousness  and  sin. — and 
they  meet  in  the  Cross  of  Calvary, — you  have  a  brilliancy  that  will 
illuminate  earth  and  heaven  and  that  shall  shine  as  the  stars  forever 
and  ever.  And  therefore  the  very  fact  that  the  hour  of  this  darkness 
and  sorrow  and  reproach  has  come  to  Russia,  is  significant  to  us.  God's 
salvation  is  ready. 

Now,  I  want  to  say  that  the  vision  of  Russia  that  I  hope  to  see  some 
day  soon  is  the  vision  not  of  a  regenerated  land,  in  the  sense  of  which 
people  speak  of  political  regeneration,  not  that;  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  a  regenerated  nation,  in  the  scriptural  sense  of  the  term.  Not  until 
every  subject  of  a  nation  is  regenerated  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
will  there  be  a  regenerated  nation;  and  that  will  never  be  until  the 
Lord  comes.  But  then  you  have  the  fact  that  you  can  have  a  great 
number  of  people  that  are  regenerated  in  a  nation. 

God's    Last   Experiment 

What  is  the  vision  of  Russia  today?  As  I  see  it,  it  is  a  marvelous 
l9,nd,  not  only  as  touching  the  map;  but  Russia  in  this  hour  is  standing 


74  Tlie  Inspiring  Vision  of  a  Regenerated  Russia 

forth  as  in  God's  light,  His  last  experiment,  if  you  will.  If  you  have 
the  requisite  historic  knowledge,  if  you  have  at  all  an  imaginative 
faculty  that  can  be  quickened  into  vividness,  if  you  have  any  power 
whereby  you  can  visualize  the  unseen,  then  I  would  ask  you  to  go  back 
into  that  period  of  history  ante-dating  the  great  Protestant  Reforma- 
tion, before  Luther  and  Zwingli  and  John  Knox,  and  other  stalwarts  of 
the  Reformation,  go  back  to  that  period. 

I  am  only  a  poor  Scotchman,  and  somebody  has  said,  when  a  Scotch- 
man called  himself  poor  and  humble,  "I  will  turn  aside  and  see  this 
great  sight, — a  humble  Scotchman."  But  then,  even  if  I  am  only  a 
Scotchman,  I  want  to  say  this:  I  hope  I  have  got  beyond  all  national 
lines,  in  some  respects  at  least.  Among  the  children  of  God  I  am  at 
home  anywhere,  and  I  thank  God  for  having  had  the  privilege  of  meet- 
ing and  mingling  with  people  of  almost  every  nation  on  earth.  But  I 
say  that  those  who  do  pride  themselves  in  Scotland, — and  I  love  the 
land  that  gave  me  birth,— those  who  do,  whenever  they  speak  about  the 
land,  I  think  they  never  go  back  beyond  the  time  of  John  Knox.  The 
Scotland  before  John  Knox  was  not  worth  talking  about,  and  the  less 
said  about  it  the  better.  And  any  part  of  Europe  before  the  Reforma- 
tion was  not  worth  talking  very  much  about;  at  least  the  less  said 
about  it,  the  better.  The  Reformation,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  was 
the  greatest  uplift  the  world  has  ever  had  since  our  Lord  left  the 
world.  Now  then  looking  at  that,  we  say,  "Oh,  what  a  great  thing  it 
was  that  the  Reformation  occurred."  Yes,  and  I  would  to  God  that  it 
had  been  greater.  Do  you  know  what  stifled  the  great  forces  that 
were  released  at  the  Reformation?  Was  the  truth  of  justification  by 
faith  the  only  truth  that  needed,  so  to  speak,  to  be  restored  out  of  the 
depths?  Oh  no,  by  no  manner  of  means.  I  would  that  those  who  began 
to  see  so  clearly,  as  some  of  these  great  reformers  did  see,  I  would  thai 
they  had  kept  to  the  New  Testament  and  remembering  their  freedom 
from  the  bondage  of  priestcraft  and  that  they  had  "an  unction  from 
the  Holy  One"  to  understand  the  blessed  Word  of  God  that  they  had 
vitalizing  Word.  But  they  began  to  match  the  world's  power  with 
similar  power,  they  began  to  draw  the  sword  to  meet  the  sword.  I 
believe  that  for  the  allied  nations,  for  example,  to  draw  the  sword 
was  their  inescapable  duty,  but  I  believe  for  the  Church  it  was  a  great 
crime.  I  believe  it  was  the  beginning  of  what  has  made  Christendom 
a  hissing  and  a  by-word,  of  what  has  made  her  weak,  has  deprived  her 
of  her  strength  and  shorn  her  locks  even  as  Samson's  locks  were 
shorn.  They  created  immediately  "national"  churclies,  the  national 
German  Church,  the  national  Dutch  Church,  the  national  English 
Church,  the  national  Scotch  Church;  and  the  idcntitication  of  secular 
interests  with  sacred;  of  Christ's  kingdom  with  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world, — was  the  beginning  of  the  tearing  down  of  the  lines  of  de- 
niarcation  that  should  have  remained.*  Because  of  this  worldly  alliance, 


Rev,  A.  B.  Winchester  75 

their  spiritual  sight  dimmed,  they  did  not  see  the  great  truth  of  sancti- 
fication.  They  did  not  see  the  great  truth  of  the  Lord's  coming,  which 
we  have  been  privileged  to  see,  which  would  have  made  them  invinci- 
ble in  all  the  world ;  but  now  we  are  the  inheritors  of  some  of  the  blun- 
ders of  unbelief  and  of  worldly  complicity  and  alliance  which  they  left 
us.  Are  we  to  preach  something  of  that  kind  in  a  land  that  has  not 
known  a  Reformation,  in  a  land  that  is  free  from  certain  kinds  of 
evils,  in  a  land  where  the  form  of  ecclesiasticism  under  which  it  has 
been  standing  is  today  now  condemned?  Are  we  to  inoculate  them  with 
the  divisions  and  dissensions  which  we  have?  Are  we  to  do  that?  I 
trust  in  this  great  hour  that  God  will  give  us  men  to  see  this  thing 
clearly. 

Russians  Hour  of  Deliverance 

I  believe  that  this  is  the  hour  when  for  Russia  there  is  deliverance. 
Do  you  remember  in  that  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  according  to 
Luke;  do  you  remember  there  where  one  woman  that  had  been  bound 
for  eighteen  long  years  was  released?  And  no  doubt,  like  another 
woman  in  the  Gospels,  she  spent  all  her  living  on  making  efforts  to  get 
well ;  but  she  was  bound  for  eighteen  years.  Then  she  heard  of  One  who 
was  a  Deliverer.  You  have  not  heard  aright  of  Christ,  if  you  have  not 
heard  of  Him  as  being  a  Deliverer.  He  comes  to  break  the  shackles,  to 
break  the  fetters,  to  open  the  eyes  and  to  give  release  to  the  captives. 
He  has  been  doing  it  all  along.  And  so  when  this  woman  came  to  the 
town  where  Jesus  was  she  heard  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  there  and  she 
heard  that  He  was  a  wonderful  Deliverer,  and  her  friends  said  to  her: 
"Now,  Mary,  He  is  here.  Come  along  and  see  Him."  And  I  can  see  her 
coming,  but  there  are  two  voices  in  her  after  all.  Dr.  Jekyl  and  Mr. 
Hyde,  and  one  is  saying:  "What  is  the  use?  Haven't  you  gone  to  all 
sorts  of  physicians  of  reputation?  Haven't  you  gone  to  this  sanitarium 
and  that  sanitarium?  Haven't  you  gone  to  this  spring  and  that  spring? 
And  nothing  has  ever  helped  you.  What  is  the  use?  There  isn't  any 
hope  for  you."  But  another  voice  said:  "He  may  be  able  to  help  you; 
He  has  helped  others,  you  know."  And  so  she  came  up  slowly,  very 
slowly;  and  when  the  Lord  called  her  He  said,  "Come  to  me,"  and  she 
went  painfully  up  to  Him.  He  put  His  hand  upon  her  and  she  stood 
up  as  erect  as  any  of  those  children  who  played  on  the  hills,  as  erect  as 
any  girl  ever  stood.  What  does  the  record  say?  It  says:  "They  all 
glorified  God."  If  that  is  true  of  one  soul's  deliverance,  how  much  more 
so  of  the  deliverance  of  many? 

I  see  a  great  nation — great  in  every  respect.  I  see  that  nation  of 
hundreds  of  millions  who  have  been  bowed  down  and  bent  in  the  fetters 
of  a  condemned  ecclesiasticism.  I  see  them  persecuted,  yet  many  of 
them  earnestly  seeking  after  God  and  truth,  seeking  as  earnestly  as 


76  Tlie  Inspirmg  Vision  of  a  Regenerated  Russia 

any  people  by  nature  ever  sought;  but  centuries  of  suffering,  centuries 
of  darkness,  centuries  of  poverty,  centuries  of  bondage  have  left  its 
stamp  on  their  faces.  But  when  you  see  the  whole  nation  summoned  by 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Lord  of  all,  summoned  by  Him,  through  you;  if  you 
are  ready  to  be  used  of  Him  as  His  instrument  to  put  His  hand  upon 
that  nation  as  He  put  His  hand  upon  that  woman  bowed  beneath  that 
bondage  of  sin,  you  will  see  that  nation  rise  and  stand  erect,  and  you 
will  with  myriads  glorify  God  as  you  have  never  done.  It  may  be 
that  it  is  His  way  of  preparing  blessing  for  His  nation,  for  this  is  a 
nation  that  has  within  it  the  largest  number  of  Jews  in  the  world,  and 
the  Jews  have  not  been  forgotten  by  the  God  of  Jacob.  Praise  His  name 
for  that!  I  was  reading  recently  speeches  made  by  your  Ex  president 
Grover  Cleveland,  and  comments  on  them  by  Dr.  McArthur  of  New 
York,  and  others  in  which  it  was  said  that  Russia  was  an  utterly 
barbarous  people  and  all  that  kind  of  thing.  Well,  I  don't  think  that 
Dr.  McArthur  is  talking  that  way  today.  I  wish  we  could  see  this, 
that  that  great  people  are  ready  now.  Look  at  all  there  is  to  do. 
"Look  at  all  there  is  of  confusion  and  strife  here,"  you  say.  Oh, 
I  know  all  that,  there  is  enough  of  that  and  too  much  of  it  right 
here  in  Chicago.  But  let  me  say  this,  that  the  confusion  will  go 
when  we  get  a  vision  of  the  Christ  and  yield  ourselves  to  His  blessed 
will. 

A  Wonderful  Vision 

If  we  are  to  see  this  vision  that  is  to  inspire,  we  must  first  see  Christ 
as  He  is.  Have  you  ever  looked  at  a  great  telescope?  If  you  have  not 
do  it  if  ever  you  have  the  opportunity.  Ask  someone  who  can  be  con- 
sidered a  trustworthy  guide  to  show  them  Saturn,  that  great  planet 
that  swings  in  his  orbit  something  nearly  a  billion  miles  away  from 
the  sun.  It  takes  twenty-nine  and  a  half  of  our  years  for  him  to  swing 
clear  around  in  his  orbit.  That  planet,  with  a  diameter  of 
something  like  seven  thousand  miles,  has  at  least  two  great  rings — 
a  unique  thing  among  the  great  worlds  of  the  universe  that  God  has 
made.  The  great  outer  circle  of  that  outer  ring  is  176,000  miles  in  diam- 
eter. Our  earth  is  a  big  thing,  of  course,  but  it  is  only  8,000  miles  in 
diameter;  this  is  176,000.  The  outer  ring  is  21,000  miles  wide.  It  is 
100  miles  thick,  and  as  solid  as  this  planet;  and  then  there  is  a  space 
between  of  1,800  miles,  and  then  the  other  ring  is  34,000  miles  wide. 
And  then  between  the  inner  ring  and  the  planet  there  are  20,000  miles, 
and  these  revolving  rings  are  graduating  the  orbit  with  the  planet,  but 
also  they  are  turning  with  the  planet,  and  turning  at  a  rate  fifty  times 
faster  than  we  are,  and  we  are  going  1,000  miles  an  hour  on  this  earth 
surface.  What  I  ask  you  to  think  of  is  this:  These  rings  are  kept  in 
place;  they  have  not  varied  by  an  hair's  breadth  in  space,  or  by  a  frac- 


Rev.  A.  B.  Windiest er  11 

tion  of  a  second  in  time  for  thousands  of  years.  If  they  were  to  lose 
their  balance  but  a  very  trifle,  it  would  mean  that  they  would  dash 
against  the  planet,  and  the  planet  would  dash  against  other  parts  of 
the  solar  system;  and  so  the  universe  would  go  to  smash;  but  it  has  not 
smashed  yet.  And  why?  Because  He,  with  the  pierced  hands,  is  seeing 
to  that.  In  the  stellar  heavens  His  will  is  done,  friends.  It  is  when 
His  will  is  not  done  that  things  go  to  smash.  His  will  is  not  being 
done  in  Chicago  by  every  one  of  the  officials,  or  even  by  every  one  of 
the  Christia^is.  There  is  room  for  confusion  nowhere  where  His  will 
is  being  done.  It  is  where  His  will  is  not  being  done  that  there  is  room 
for  confusion,  but  in  that  day  that  is  coming  His  will  shall  be  done. 

What  Can  I  Do? 

Now  then,  in  closing,  and  I  am  not  going  any  further,  I  want  to  say 
just  this:  "What  can  I  do?"  some  of  you  will  say.  Unbelief  always 
says,  "What  can  I  do?"  Here  is  the  greatest  problem  presented  to  the 
Christian  church.  I  would  say,  the  greatest  challenge  that  the  church 
ever  had;  and  here  in  this  wonderful,  this  marvelous  day  of  oppor- 
tunity, God  is  saying:  "You  go  forward,"  and  you  say,  "Why,  you  don't 
know  who  I  am.  Nobody  knows  me.  I  am  unknown."  Well,  there  are 
times  when  you  wouldn't  say  that,  and  if  somebody  else  would  say  it, 
something  would  happen.  Oh,  beloved,  I  would  that  we  could  under- 
stand that  every  one  of  us  is  needed  in  this  hour.  The  Lord  is  de- 
manding and  is  asking  us  to  do  this.  He  asks  us  to  be  good  stewards. 
What  is  a  steward?  A  steward  used  to  be  a  keeper  of  a  sty  ward;  after- 
ward the  word  came  to  be  used  of  anyone  to  whom  was  entrusted  any- 
thing of  value.  And  it  is  required  of  stewards  that  they  be  faithful.  A 
lady  overheard  two  men  talking  in  front  of  the  great  cathedral  at 
Cologne.  One  man  said,  "We  did  a  good  job  there."  And  the  lady  turned 
and  saw  two  rough  workmen  that  possessed  no  mark  of  ■either  skillful 
workmanship  or  capacity  for  architecture.  And  the  lady  out  of  curios- 
ity said,  "May  I  ask  what  it  was  that  you  did  to  the  cathedral?"  "For 
two  years,  across  the  street,  I  mixed  the  mortar,  and  we  did  a  good 
job."  Beloved,  God  needs  men  to  mix  the  mortar.  Be  a  mortar-mixer, 
if  you  can't  be  anything  else.  I  do  believe  this,  that  if  you  want  to  say 
the  twenty-third  Psalm  as  a  Christian  ought  to  say  it,  you  ought  to  say, 
"The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  will  not  want.  He  leadeth  me  beside  the 
still  waters;  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures."  No  man, 
any  more  than  a  sheep,  will  lie  down  unless  he  is  satisfied.  And  the 
reason  why  there  is  so  much  discontent  and  unrest  today  is  that  people 
are  not  satisfied.  Why?  Because  they  have  no  real  design  and  pur- 
pose in  their  lives. 

Men  are  talking  about  consecration,  and  saying:  "You  must  do  this 
in  order  to  be  consecrated."    I  think  no  word  has  been  so  abused  as  that 


78  TJie  Inspiring  Vision  of  a  Regenerated  Russia 

word  "consecration."  To  give  rules  for  consecration  would  be  like 
giving  rules  to  a  mother  about  how  she  is  to  love  her  child,  her  first 
born.  No!  No!  Consecration  is  simply  saying  this:  "I  am  not  mine. 
Lord,  I  am  not  mine,  I  am  Thine,  and  Thou  art  mine.  Lord,  what  wilt 
Thou  have  me  to  do?"  That  is  the  first  thing  that  Paul  said  after  he 
ceased  to  be  Saul,  Now  then,  what  will  You  have  me  to  do  in  reference 
to  this?  Oh,  I  ask  you  to  pray  that  you  might  in  some  way  contribute 
to  this  thing,  that  you  may  in  some  way  count  in  this  great  matter. 
If  you  never  have  had  a  definite  purpose  before,  pray  tliat  you  may 
have  one  now.  I  know  some  people  that  have  passed  away  that  didn't 
seem  to  have  a  purpose  in  their  life;  and  I  know  others  that  now, 
since  things  are  looking  so  dark  in  this  world,  they  say,  "Oh,  I  have 
spent  years  in  trying  to  save,  but  now  it  is  all  scattered  and  there  is 
nothing  sure."  Oh,  but  there  is  one  thing  sure.  The  Rock  of  Ages  is 
sure;  and  in  that  day  when  the  Lord  of  Glory  shall  come,  if  you  have 
bent  your  powers  definitely  to  one  thing  and  said,  "I  am  going  to  work 
for  and  with  God  in  saving  the  world  in  this  little  hour  until  He 
comes,"  then  what  a  shout  shall  go  up  when  China  shall  straighten  up, 
when  Russia  shall  stand  erect  with  the  others,  when  different  parts  of 
the  world  shall  stand  up  and  together  sing  as  we  were  trying  to  do  this 
morning  with  one  heart  and  voice,  "Glory  to  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the 
throne." 


A  QUIET  HOUR  ADDRESS 

By  REV.  A.  B.  WINCHESTER 

MY  heart  is  full.  I  have  a  great  many  things  I  want  to  say,  but 
cannot  for  a  very  different  reason  from  that  which  led  our 
blessed  Lord  to  say,  "I  have  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but 
ye  cannot  bear  them  now."  The  Teacher  was  able  to  teach  but  the 
scholars  were  not  able  to  learn.  Well,  it  is  not  that  way  with  us.  I 
have  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  I  have  only  a  very  short  time  in 
which  to  say  them. 

I  was  going  to  speak  on  Prayer  this  morning,  and  I  just  thought 
about  it  in  the  night.  If  I  speak  on  prayer,  I  can  get  everyone  in  the 
audience  that  is  before  me  to  agree  to  any  propositions  about  prayer 
that  I  state;  and  if  I  state  the  conditions  of  prayer,  if  I  state  that  the 
effectual  fervent  prayer  of  the  righteous  availeth  much,  everyone  will 
say.  Amen.  But  it  is  not  intellectual  assent  to  a  proposition  that  we 
need,  it  is  something  more  than  that.  Carlyle  and  Ruskin  were  talking 
together  once  about  literature,  and  both  of  them  had  a  right  to  some 
opinion  on  that  question;  and  Carlyle  said  to  Ruskin,  "How  do  you 
account  for  it  that  some  of  the  ablest  literateurs  of  the  day,  men  who 
write  on  themes  of  vital  interest,  men  who  issue  books  well  written, 
of  profound  thought  and  of  finest  literary  attainment,  can  hardly  get 
sale  enough  for  them  to  pay  the  expenses  of  publishing;  whereas  some 
trashy  novel" — and  I  do  not  know  what  he  would  have  said  today  if 
he  could  have  seen  some  of  our  novels — "some  trashy  novel,  with  no 
literary  merit  whatever,  will  sell  by  scores  of  thousands."  And  after 
a  profound  pause,  Ruskin  said:  "Well,  there  is  only  one  explanation 
I  can  think  of,  but  it  is  quite  sufficient,  and  that  is,  that  the  novel, 
however  trashy,  has  love  in  it."  You  know  that  yourself,  and  you  have 
gone  through  the  story  to  see  how  the  thing  is  going  to  end.  The 
thing,  brethren,  that  we  want  to  see  in  the  great  truths  of  our  holy 
faith,  is  that  they  are  nothing  at  all,  unless  there  is  vital  union  with 
the  Lord  Jesus  and  love  to  do  His  will. 

Burden  Bearing 

Do  you  remember  what  it  says  in  Galatians  6:2?  "Bear  ye  one  an- 
other's burdens."  Oh,  what  a  word  that  is!  "Bear  ye  one  another's 
burdens!"  That  is  in  the  second  verse;  and  the  fifth  verse  says,  "Every 
man  shall  bear  his  own  burden."  The  two  words  are  slightly  different 
in  the  Greek,  and  the  one  has  reference  to  a  load,  a  weight  beneath 
which  a  man  is  staggering;  just  as  you  may  see  on  the  street  a  man  or 

79 


80  A  Quiet  Hour  Address 

woman,  sometimes,  indeed,  a  child,  staggering  beneath  a  burden.  Any 
man  who  has  a  right  to  be  called  a  man  would  certainly  stop  and  help 
a  little  bit  in  some  way  or  other  because  the  other  man  is  staggering 
beneath  the  load.  Every  man  would  help  another  when  he  is  over- 
burdened; but  every  man  has  a  burden  of  responsibility  he  can  carry 
himself  alone.  And  today  as  we  consider  Russia  and  the  burdens  they 
are  staggering  under,  burdens  of  poverty,  burdens  of  bondage,  burdens 
of  reproach,  burdens  of  sin;  bear  ye  vicariously,  if  you  will,  their  bur- 
dens. But  then,  in  doing  so,  what  shall  be  the  motive?  Mere  humani- 
tarianism,  mere  human  sympathy?  Oh,  no.  "Bear  ye  one  another's 
burdens  and  so  fulfill  the  law,  the  law  of  Christ.''  I  want  to  go  to  the 
third  chapter  of  Hebrews  to  get  more  of  that,  "Wherefore,"  Every 
word  is  pregnant  and  vital.  "Wherefore."  This  is  not  the  language 
of  the  poet,  it  is  the  language  of  the  logician.  This  is  the  language  of 
the  man  who  reasons  because  of  what  has  been  set  forth.  And  what 
has  been  set  forth?  In  the  first  chapter,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is 
set  forth  as  being  not  only  superior  to  men  and  angels,  but  as 
God.  "Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  forever  and  ever."  There  are  seven 
marks  of  the  deity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  that  first  chapter.  Tn 
the  second  chapter  you  have  seven  marks  of  the  humanity  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  When  you  come  to  see  in  one  Person  these  two  great 
facts,  "very  God  of  very  God"  and  "very  man  of  very  man,"  and 
they  meet  in  the  same  Person,  two  distinct  natures  and  one  Person 
forever,  when  you  get  that,  you  have  a  thought  greater  than  you  have 
any  horizon  in  your  intellect  to  ensphere.  Wherefore,  now  seeing 
that  the  great  God  spoken  of  in  the  first  chapter  is  the  Man  spoken 
of  in  the  second  chapter,  who  was  in  all  things  made  like  unto  His 
brethren,  in  order  that  He  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful  High  Priest 
in  things  pertaining  to  God,  to  make  reconciliation  for  the  sins  of  the 
people;  "Wherefore,  holy  brethren,  and  I  just  touched  on  that  "holy 
brethren"  yesterday.  There  isn't  anyone  holy,  not  one,  there  is  none 
righteous,  no,  not  one.  Then  who  are  the  holy  brethren?  Those  who 
are  holy  with  the  holiness  of  Christ. 

He  That  Sanctifieth 

The  greatest  one  of  the  greatest  words  is  that  eleventh  verse  of  the 
second  chapter:  "For  both  He  that  sanctifieth."  Oh,  what  a  blessed 
thing  that  there  was  One  who  could  sanctify!  Every  man  required  to 
be  sanctified.  If  you  think,  for  example,  of  having  Moses,  who  was 
to  the  Israelite  the  great  standard,  and  then  ask,  "Will  Moses  do  to 
sanctify  me?"  Oh  no.  "Will  Abraham  do?"  Oh  no.  These  all  were 
under  sin  and  all  under  condemnation,  and  every  one  a  child  of  wrath. 
Then  what  shall  we  do?  He  who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold 
iniquity,  is  He  who  sanctifieth;  He  is  the  One  who  Himself  was  God 


Rev.  A.  B.  Winchester  81 

and  man,  who  brought  us  nigh  by  His  blood.  We  who  were  far  off  have 
been  made  nigh,  for  both  He  that  sanctifieth  and  they  which  are  sancti- 
fied— that  is,  every  Christian,  they  which  are  sanctified,  not  with  the 
inherent  holiness  which  is  theirs  already  in  possession,  but  with  the 
sanctification  of  Him — as  having  been  set  apart,  and  having  also  the 
covering  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  covering  them  completely;  so  that 
God  sees  no  iniquity  in  Jacob  and  no  perverseness  in  Israel;  and 
therefore  both  "He  that  sanctifieth  and  they  who  are  sanctified  are  all 
of  one;  for  which  cause  He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren.  Be- 
loved, I  am  not  sure  that  I  know  just  the  atmosphere  of  the  Greek 
Church  in  Russia.  I  am  trying  my  best  to  understand  it,  but  I  do  not 
know  the  actual  working  out  of  it  in  Russia.  I  know  what  it  is  in 
Italy  and  I  know  what  it  is  in  France.  I  have  seen  the  working  out 
of  the  Romish  Church  there,  but  if  I  understand  the  one  thing  that 
differentiates  that  form  of  Christian  profession  from  what  we  may 
call  "evangelical  faith,"  it  is  this:  They  are  saying  to  the  people,  just 
as  many  of  our  ministers  are  also — because  many  of  our  ministers  in 
evangelical  pulpits  are  in  the  same  position — they  are  saying:  "Now 
then,  be  ashamed  of  yourself  for  this  and  that  and  the  other.  Be  true, 
try  and  do  good  and  be  good."  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  there  are  even 
some  very  prominent  pastors  who  are  saying:  "Now,  all  you  need  to 
do  is  to  get  up  and  take  my  hand  and  promise  to  be  good,  and  then 
you  are  a  member  of  the  church  at  once" — and  all  that  sort  of  thing. 
Supposing  that  you  had  a  boy  such  as  some  of  those  big  brothers 
take  hold  of  out  of  the  juvenile  court,  and  supposing  that  you  wanted 
that  boy  to  reach  up  to  something  better  as  a  citizen;  and  you  said  to 
that  boy,  "Now  then,  be  ashamed  of  what  you  have  done."  Well,  he 
is  that  in  part,  deeper  perhaps  than  he  would  admit.  But  you  say, 
"You  ought  to  do  this  and  that,  and  if  you  do  thus  and  so,  you  may 
become  a  king's  son  one  day."  Do  you  think  you  are  going  to  help  him 
to  live  that  kind  of  a  life  that  you  want  him  to  live  by  saying  that  if 
he  will  do  all  this  and  that  and  the  other  things,  that  he  will  be  a 
king's  son  some  day? 

A  Child  of  the  King 

There  is  another  way  that  I  think  would  be  more  successful.  It  is 
not  to  say,  "If  you  do  so  and  so  you  may  become  a  king's  son";  but 
to  say  to  that  boy,  "You  are  a  king's  son.  You  are  begotten  again  unto 
a  living  hope.  You  are  loved  by  One  who  puts  before  you  just  for  your 
taking  it,  sonship  and  princehood."  In  other  words,  tell  that  boy  that 
he  is  loved.  Nothing  will  make  a  man  so  humble  as  to  know  he  is 
loved.  Remember  Job's  defense.  His  friends  were  marvelously  wise, 
and  their  arguments  were  wonderfully  comprehensive  and  unanswer- 
able, and  Job  yet  stood  off  with  his  defense.     But  when  he  saw  the 


82  A  Quiet  Hmir  Address 

Lord  as  the  Lord  of  Love,  then  he  abhorred  himself.  And  to  tell  a  boy 
that  he  is  loved  will  help  him  on.  Beloved,  what  we  need  to  realize 
more  than  anything  else  is  this, — "We  love  Him  because  He  first  loved 
us,"  and  that  we  are  called  to  be  saints;  that  we  are  separated;  that 
we  are  sanctified;  that  we  are  now  as  pure  in  God's  sight  as  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is,  because  everything  that  belongs  to  Him  is  ours." 
Oh,  what  a  wonder  it  is!  "Wherefore,  holy  brethren,"  you  who  have 
been  sanctified.  And  you  notice  what  follows:  "For  which  cause  He 
is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren,  saying,  I  will  declare  thy  name 
unto  my  brethren,  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation  will  I  sing  praise 
unto  Thee."  Where  did  He  get  that?  Well,  let  us  see.  "And  again, 
I  will  put  my  trust  in  Him.  And  again,  behold,  I  and  the  children  whom 
God  hath  given  me."  Oh,  the  Scriptures  are  full  of  Christ.  The  sun 
Is  the  center  of  our  solar  system.  Every  planet  is  swinging  in  His 
orbit,  and  yet  held  fast  by  invisible  gravitation  to  that  sun.  The  Lord 
Jesus  is  central  in  the  Word,  He  is  central  in  redemption  and  in  provi- 
dence, the  Lord  Jesus  is  central  in  the  Godhead.  You  could  not  know 
the  Father  except  through  Him.  Every  part  of  the  tabernacle  spoke 
of  His  glory,  and  every  part  of  the  Book  speaks  of  His  glory.  You 
find  the  Good  Shepherd  in  the  twenty-second  Psalm,  the  Great  Shepherd 
in  the  twenty-third,  and  the  Chief  Shepherd  in  the  twenty-fourth.  The 
Good  Shepherd  gave  His  life  for  the  sheep — that  is  the  twenty-second 
Psalm.  Then  the  Great  Shepherd  is  also  in  Hebrews,  thirteenth  chap- 
ter, "The  God  of  peace  that  brought  again  from  the  dead  our  Lord 
Jesus,  that  Great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the 
everlasting  covenant,  make  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  His 
will."  Then  you  have  in  I  Peter  5:4,  the  Chief  Shepherd.  All  the 
New  Testament  is  full  of  the  death,  the  resurrection  and  the  glorifica- 
tion of  Christ. 

"Two  Men"  Not  Angels 

In  the  twenty-fourth  of  Luke  two  men  stood  there,  speaking  of  His 
resurrection,  and  you  know  so  many  people  tell  us  there  were  two 
angels  who  appeared  to  the  men  of  Galilee,  but  I  do  not  read  in  my 
Bible  that  there  were  any  angels  there;  I  read  there  were  two  men. 
They  are  not  named,  but  I  think  they  were  the  same  two  men  who, 
in  the  ninth  of  Luke,  were  speaking  at  first  of  His  decease,  and  now 
of  His  resurrection.  Again,  in  Acts  1:10-11,  they  are  saying,  "This 
same  Jesus  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven  shall  so  come  in 
like  manner."  And  so  you  have  the  three  Psalms  in  which  the  Lord 
calls  us  brethren;  first,  in  His  humiliation,  when  He  went  down  to  die 
for  us;  second,  in  His  resurrection,  when  He  is  declared  the  Son  of 
God,  with  power  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and  third,  in  His 
glorification  when  He  is  to  come  again. 


Uev.  A.  B.  Winchester  83 

I  am  speaking  now  to  some  who  are  yet  young  in  the  faith,  and  I 
wish  to  say  just  a  word  about  how  to  proceed  in  the  study  of  the 
Word  of  God.  First  of  all,  believe  it  to  be  the  Word  of  God.  "Oh,  yes," 
you  say,  "but  there  are  different  translations  and  some  of  the  words 
are  in  contradiction  to  the  rest  of  it."  Here  and  there  some  scribe 
has  perhaps  put  a  shade  of  difference  in  meaning,  and  so  on;  and 
there  are  slight  variations.  But  these  are  simply  infinitesimal  in 
comparison  with  the  great  body  of  truth.  You  can  depend  upon  it 
that  in  our  English  version  even  you  have  the  Word  of  God.  I  know 
there  are  variations  and  all  that,  and  it  is  your  duty  to  study  these. 
This  is  the  real  higher  criticism,  a  higher  criticism  that  everyone  who 
professes  to  teach  ought  to  try  to  make  himself  master  of  as  far  as 
possible.  But  the  humblest  child  of  God  can  come  with  confidence  and 
say,  "I  have  here  the  words  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Partners   and   Partakers 

One  important  part  in  your  study  of  this  Book  is  the  study  of 
certain  words,  and  the  word  "partakers"  is  one  of  them.  We  are 
partakers  of  Christ  and  of  His  holiness.  If  you  have  a  Greek  con- 
cordance follow  the  word  through  and  you  will  find  that  the  word  is 
from  the  same  root  word  as  "Paraclete."  It  is  the  word  that  suggests 
the  standing  by  the  side  of  another  to  be  of  comfort  and  help.  It  is 
translated  "partners,"  as,  for  example,  where  there  were  those  who  were 
partners  in  fishing,  and  here  we  are  His  partakers  or  His  partners. 
Oh,  if  you  have  a  grip  on  that,  beloved,  what  an  interest  you  will 
have  with  Christ  in  seeking  the  redemption  of  Russia  and  of  the  world 
today.  "Partners" — "partakers"  of  what?  "Of  the  Divine  calling." 
The  fact  is  that  in  proportion  as  any  of  you  will  gain  in  fame  or  place 
or  riches  or  anything,  whereby  men  will  honor  you,  you  will  lose 
spiritual  power.  "My  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another."  Oh,  I  have 
known  some  of  my  brethren  in  the  ministry  that  were  men  of  splendid 
capacity,  with  marvelous  ability,  who  have  gradually  lost,  because 
there  came  to  be  a  chestiness.  They  wanted  this  and  they  wanted  the 
other  thing,  and  the  Lord  said,  "All  right,  you  shall  have  your  reward, 
and  you  shall  have  your  place";  and  the  Lord  allowed  them  to  do  the 
thing  they  wanted  to  do.  But  that  is  not  it.  We  are  "partakers  of  the 
heavenly  calling."  We  are  princes  and  priestesses  of  the  royal  family 
of  God,  traveling  incognito  through  a  wilderness  world  that  did  not 
know  the  Lord  of  Glory  and  does  not  know  these  who  are  partakers 
with  Him  in  His  heavenly  calling.  We  are  but  "pilgrims"  and 
"strangers"  and  "sojourners."  And  do  not  think  these  words  are  all 
the  same  thing.  They  are  not  similes.  They  have  distinct  shades  of 
meaning.  Trace  them  out,  if  you  will,  as  "partakers  of  the  heavenly 
calling." 


84  A  Quiet  Hour  Address 

Consider  What? 

Consider.  And  this  is  a  word  that  appears  four  times  in  this  epistle, 
but  it  translates  three  different  Greek  words.  There  are  only  two  times 
that  it  occurs  in  the  same  form  as  the  word  that  is  translated  "con- 
sider" here.  The  other  time  is  in  Hebrews,  where  it  says,  "Consider 
one  another  to  provoke  unto  love  and  to  good  works."  And  these  two 
things  are  the  only  two  things  that  the  Lord  asks  us  to  consider  in  that 
particular  sense,  in  setting  the  whole  mind  to  grasp  the  truth.  First, 
consider  the  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  confession,  Christ  Jesus. 
Second,  consider  one  another,  brethren  in  the  Lord,  consider  our  in- 
terests, our  partnership  with,  in  service  and  fellowship  and  sacrifice, 
in  the  Lord.  Oh,  what  a  wonderful  thing  to  consider  the  work  and  to 
be  able  to  consider  ourselves  as  partners  with  Him!  Think  of  the 
stars  and  consider  what  a  world,  what  a  big  world  we  have!  Then 
think  of  our  sun.  How  many  of  our  worlds  would  go  into  that  sun,  if 
the  sun  were  conceived  of  as  a  hollow  sphere?  Fifty,  somebody  might 
say.  More  than  that.  Some  little  boy  might  think  a  hundred.  More 
than  that.  A  thousand.  Oh,  more  than  that.  A  million  and  a  quarter 
worlds  like  ours  would  be  necessary  to  fill  the  sun,  if  it  were  a  hollow 
sphere,  and  yet  the  sun  is  a  small  thing  in  the  universe  of  God.  And 
when  you  think  of  the  amazing  things  that  God  hath  made,  how  mar- 
velous that  God  should  say  that  we  are  partners  with  Him,  we  are 
identified  with  Him! 

The    Partnership 

Then  consider  "the  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  confession,"  isn't 
it  wonderful?  The  Apostle — that  is,  the  Sent  One;  and  then  remember 
that  we  are  partners.  "As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  so  send  I  you." 
I  do  not  feel  that  there  is  very  great  danger  of  our  talking  about 
Christian  service  as  something  that  belongs  either  to  a  meeting  or  a 
conference,  a  church  service,  or  to  some  particular  duty  that  we  have 
voluntarily  agreed  to  undertake  in  some  congregation,  or  something 
of  the  kind.  That  is  not  service  for  Christ.  As  the  Father  sent  Christ, 
so  hath  Christ  sent  us.  The  words  "sent"  and  "service"  mean  every- 
thing we  do.  When  I  go  to  arrange  for  going  back  to  Toronto  today, 
that  is  a  part  of  my  service  to  Christ.  In  every  detail  of  my  life,  if 
Christ  has  the  place  that  He  ought  to  have,  everything,  mark  you, 
is  just  a  part  of  my  partnership  with  Him.  And,  oh,  what  a  place 
He  ought  to  have  in  my  life  as  Lord! 

He  ought  to  be  Lord  in  my  thought-life  and  every  imagination  and 
high  thing  ought  to  be  cast  down.  How  many  of  us  get  opinionated! 
Some  of  us  are  belonging  to  this  church  or  that  church,  and  we  have 
learned  a  little  thing  here  or  there,  and  have  come  to  think  that  that 


Rev.  A.  B.  Winchester  85 

particular  shade  of  interpretation,  or  that  particular  conception  of  duty, 
or  that  particular  notion  or  theory  is  the  only  thing.  Why?  Because 
we  have  allowed  the  mind  to  work  on  that  one  thing  without  constantly 
bringing  it  to  the  Book,  for  through  the  Book  the  Holy  Spirit  gets  the 
light  of  Christ  into  our  lives. 

Oh,  to  be  free  from  all  trammels,  from  all  bondage,  to  be  only 
Christ's!  He  is  the  Sent  One,  and  the  Apostle,  who  is  to  rule  in  our 
hearts  and  minds.  By  His  obedient  life  and  His  sacrificial  death  He 
was  the  Apostle,  the  Sent  One  of  the  Father. 

''And  High  Priest."  Now  that  is  a  term  that  is  very  significant; 
for  the  whole  of  this  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  really  may  find  its  very 
center  in  that  differentiating  between  the  Aaronic  and  the  Melchizedec 
orders  of  the  High  Priest.  Oh,  the  glory  and  beauty  of  this!  "Con- 
sider Christ  Jesus,  the  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  confession." 

Greatness  of  the  Opportunity 

I  would  like  to  have  had  time  to  make  some  application  of  this,  more 
than  I  can  possibly  do.  As  I  said  at  the  beginning,  I  have  yet  many 
things  to  say  unto  you,  but  I  have  not  the  opportunity  of  saying  them. 
As  I  lay  awake  last  night,  thinking  of  this  conference,  I  was  thinking 
of  the  great  ones  of  the  earth  that  are  not  here.  And  I  said  to  myself. 
Oh,  this  great  opportunity  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  millions  of 
people,  liberated  for  the  first  time  after  centuries  of  longing  for  free- 
dom, for  light  and  education, — for  something  like  eighty-five  per  cent 
are  without  education  and  illiterate — longing  for  freedom  in  order  that 
they  might  have  opportunity  to  worship  God  without  any  state  church 
saying  to  them,  "Do  this  and  do  that!"  Surely  if  the  Church  of  Christ 
were  awake  to  understand  the  urgency  of  this  call  this  place  would 
not  have  room  to  hold  them.  We  are  a  small  company,  comparatively 
speaking.  And  how  many  of  us  feel  that  this  is  such  an  opportunity  as 
the  Church  never  had  before,  to  go  and  give  the  Gospel  to  those  people 
and  to  that  great  number  of  Israel  in  Russia,  more  than  in  all  the  earth 
beside!  I  think  of  the  opportunities  of  preparing  the  way  of  the  Lord 
for  them.  And  then  as  I  think  of  the  fact  that  we  are  so  few,  I  say  to 
myself,  "Are  you  discouraged  about  it?  Not  at  all.  Are  you  sur- 
prised about  it?  Not  at  all."  It  is  because  the  Lord  has  said,  "I  will 
not  give  my  glory  to  another,"  that  every  great  movement  He  has 
inaugurated  has  been  not  with  a  great  display  of  wealth  or  power,  not 
with  a  great  number,  not  with  the  great  ones  of  the  earth,  but  He 
is  pleased  to  take  the  things  that  are  not  to  bring  to  nought  the  things 
that  are.  And  you,  dear  people,  if  you  will  consider  the  Lord,  the 
Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  your  confession,  until  you  absorb  of  His 
spirit  more  and  become  partners  with  Him  in  praying  this  matter 
through,   I   assure  you   that  there  are  enough   here  and  more  than 


86  A  Quiet  Hour  Address 

enough.  But,  oh,  to  think  that  here  is  a  situation  calling  forth  the 
greatest  concentration  and  consecration,  and  so  few  think  about  it! 
But  the  few  will  do  if  we  only  put  our  trust  in  Him.  Do  not  trust  in 
bigness  of  organization!  Whatever  the  committee  have  to  announce 
today,  I  do  pray  this,  beloved,  that,  as  we  represent  different  bodies 
and  different  conditions  of  service,  different  languages,  and  of  neces- 
sity there  must  be  intellectual  divisions,  yet  I  do  pray  that  for  once, 
if  we  have  never  been  feeling  ourselves  inadequate  before,  we  will 
come  with  a  New  Testament  alone  and  stand  in  the  freedom  of  the 
sons  of  God  and  subordinate  everything,  putting  under  foot  any  tradi- 
tion that  would  hinder  the  full  flowing  of  the  tides  of  brotherhool; 
for  the  Holy  Spirit  will  work  more  fully  when  we  are  willing  to  work 
without  any  trammel  for  His  glorious  service.  I  do  pray  God's  richest 
blessing  upon  you.  It  has  been  a  blessing  to  my  own  soul  to  meet  those 
of  different  languages  and  from  different  parts  of  the  world,  and  to 
rejoice  in  the  fellowship  I  have  had  here.    The  Lord  be  with  you! 


THE  BOGOISKATELI;  OR,  SEEKERS  AFTER 

GOD 

By  PROF.  I.  V.  NEPRASH  of  Philadelphia 

ABOUT  a  hundred  years  after  the  founding  of  the  Russian  kingdom 
King  Vladimir  introduced  the  Greek  Orthodox  Faith  to  his  sub- 
jects in  the  following  manner:  Priests  from  Greece  were  in- 
vited, and  a  proclamation  was  made  to  the  inhabitants  of  Kiev,  then 
the  Capital  city,  that  on  the  following  morning  everyone,  small  and 
great,  must  go  to  the  Dnieper  River  and  be  baptized  into  the  new 
faith.  "Anyone  who  disobeys  and  fails  to  come  will  be  considered  as 
an  enemy  to  the  King,"  were  the  concluding  words  of  the  Manifesto. 
On  the  following  day  the  people  of  Kiev  came  in  multitudes  to  be 
baptized. 

Vladimir   Introduced    Christianity 

Shortly  after  this  Vladimir  sent  one  of  his  generals  with  an  army  to 
introduce  Christianity  in  the  land.  What  this  introduction  was  can  be 
judged  by  the  historian's  record,  which  reads:  "Vladimir  introduced 
Christianity  with  the  cross,  but  his  general  with  the  sword."  This 
took  place  in  A.  D.  988.  History  bears  record  that  at  this  time 
Byzantium  was  already  decayed  spiritually  and  also  in  its  culture. 
"From  this  poisoned  source  we  took  the  great  idea  of  Christianity," 
says  the  historian,  Chadaiev.  He  acknowledges  that  the  great  power 
of  the  Christian  idea  was  undermined  in  its  very  roots  by  Byzantine 
formalism,  and  under  such  conditions  Christianity  was  carried  to 
Russia. 

We  read:  "Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which 
is  Jesus  Christ."  Upon  the  foundation  depends  both  the  greatness  and 
the  durability  of  the  superstructure.  The  life  of  the  Russian  Church 
illustrates  this.  More  than  a  thousand  years  have  passed  since  she 
was  founded,  but  the  spirit  of  Byzantine  formalism  still  remains  with 
her.  This  influence  of  Byzantism  was  stronger  because  of  the  fact  that 
the  priesthood  consisted  of  Greeks  who  did  not  know  the  Russian 
language,  and  who  therefore  were  unable  to  instruct  the  people,  as  they 
could  only  officiate  at  ceremonial  services. 

There  was  little  culture  among  the  Russians.  In  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury  we  find  Gonori,  the  Arclibishop  of  Novgorod,  making  the  follow- 
ing co7nplaints:  "They  bring  to  me  a  peasant  to  be  ordained  to  the 
priesthood  or  as  a  deacon.     I  order  him  to  read  the  Epistles  of  the' 

87 


88  The  Bogoiskateli;  or,  Seekers  after  God 

Apostle,  but  find  that  he  is  not  able  to  do  so.  I  give  him  the  Psalms, 
but  he  is  not  able  to  read  these.  I  order  them  to  teach  him  the  litany, 
but  find  that  he  is  not  able  to  convey  to  memory  a  single  word  of  it. 
I  tell  him  to  do  one  thing,  but  he  does  another.  I  begin  to  teach  him 
the  alphabet,  but  after  studying  for  a  while  he  asks  to  be  released 
and  does  not  want  to  study.  If  I  should  refuse  to  consecrate  him,  they 
would  complain.  Such,  my  dear  sir,  is  our  land,  we  can  find  no  man  of 
education." 

The  Hundred  Article  Council 

About  this  same  time  a  church  council,  known  in  history  under  the 
name  of  Stoglav,  or  the  Hundred  Article  Council,  acknowledged  the 
same  fact.  The  council  said:  "If  we  will  not  consecrate  the  illiterate, 
the  churches  will  be  deprived  of  singing  and  Christians  will  have  to 
die  without  repentance."  What  could  such  a  clergy  give  to  the  people? 
Nothing  but  ritual.  This  spirit  of  ritualism  and  formality  manifested 
itself  also  in  ecclesiastical  controversies.  For  instance,  in  the  twelfth 
century  a  controversy  arose  in  Russia  as  to  whether  fasts  should  be 
kept  when  they  happen  to  fall  on  a  holiday.  Wednesday  and  Friday 
were  always  fast  days,  but  what  shall  be  done  when  a  holiday  comes 
on  these  days?  Is  it  necessary  to  fast  then,  or  should  the  fast  be 
annulled  because  of  the  holiday? 

Many  are  the  controversies  that  occurred  in  the  Russian  Church. 
For  instance,  the  question  of  how  to  hold  the  fingers  when  making  the 
sign  of  the  cross.  Some  said  that  the  sign  of  the  cross  should  be  made 
with  two  fingers,  others  said  that  this  would  be  insulting  to  the  Holy 
Trinity  and  that  three  fingers  should  be  used.  At  last  the  Patriarch 
of  Antioch,  Macarius,  and  Gabriel  of  Servia  came  to  Moskow  to  revise 
some  ecclesiastical  books.  A  council  was  called  by  the  state  church 
to  consider  this  question  and  finally  it  was  decided  that  three  fingers 
should  be  used.  This  decision  of  the  council  was  proclaimed  to  the 
people  very  triumphantly  on  the  12th  of  February,  1656,  in  the  Mon- 
astery church  of  the  capital,  in  the  presence  of  the  Czar  and  patriarchs. 
The  next  year  another  council  decided  that  everyone  making  the  sign 
of  the  cross  with  two  fingers  should  be  excommunicated  from  the 
church. 

Low  Standards  Among  Clergy 

Of  course,  it  was  the  clergy,  and  the  clergy  of  the  highest  rank, 
that  occupiea  themselves  with  these  matters;  and  the  rest  were  com- 
pelled to  listen.  The  Russian  people  have  inherited  from  the  Greek 
Church  not  only  a  dry  formalism,  but  also  an  absolute  dependence  on 
the  State.    Opposition  to  ecclesiastical  authority  was  punished  by  the 


Prof.  I.  V.  Neprask  89 

State.  The  condition  of  the  rural  clergy  was  really  tragical.  Being 
separated  from  the  people  because  of  their  office  as  agents  of  grace, 
yet  not  being  able  to  minister  to  their  spiritual  needs,  because  of  il- 
literacy, they  very  often  fell  into  drunkenness.  The  "Hundred  Article 
Council"  admitted:  "The  priests  and  the  readers  in  the  churches  were 
always  drunken  and  talked  very  unseemly,  without  any  fear  of  being 
reprimanded."  "At  times  the  priests  fight  one  another  in  their 
churches."  About  the  monasteries  the  council  writes:  "In  all  of  them 
drunkenness  prevails,  among  the  superiors,  the  monks  and  the  paro- 
chial priests."  "Women  and  girls  were  often  found  in  the  cells.  The 
priests  are  very  negligent  in  their  duties,  holding  services  once  in 
several  weeks  and  at  times  once  in  months;  and  even  then,  only  in  a 
case  of  a  baptism,  wedding  or  funeral,  being  interested  more  in  the  in- 
come than  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  their  flocks." 

Peter  and  the  Orthodox  Church 

Peter  the  Great  brought  a  fresh  stream  of  western  culture  into 
Russia.  The  period  of  his  reign  should  have  marked  the  beginning  of 
a  new  epoch  in  the  life  of  the  Russian  clergy,  but  recent  years  have 
shown  that  no  change  occurred. 

Every  living  thought  was  suppressed  with  a  fear  similar  to  that 
of  a  man  who  hesitates  to  repair  his  old  house  for  fear  that  it  may 
crumble  altogether.  When  we  pointed  to  the  spiritual  decay  of  the 
church,  the  loyal  friends  of  Greek  Catholicism  answered:  "The  Ortho- 
dox Church  is  enslaved  by  the  government;  if  she  were  free  then  you 
would  see  her  glory.  The  revolution  has  liberated  the  church  from 
the  burdensome  and  harmful  guardianship  of  the  state  and  we  have 
seen  the  now  free  church  not  in  her  glory,  but  in  her  state  of  complete 
helplessness.  There  were  almost  no  priests  who  would  openly  step  out 
with  the  Gospel  in  their  hands  to  lead  men  in  new  Russia  in  a  new  way. 
The  convention  of  the  clergy  which  met  in  Moscow  last  year,  upon 
which  the  eyes  and  the  hopes  of  all  Russia  were  centered,  dishonored 
itself  forever  and  proved  a  disappointment  to  those  who  looked  to  it 
for  guidance.  Again  the  old  discussion  about  places  and  speculations 
continued.  The  main  topic  of  discussion  was  what  form  of  clothing 
the  clergy  should  wear,  as  the  old  garbs  were  being  ridiculed  by  many. 
I  remember  the  expression  of  disappointment  on  the  faces  of  men  who 
in  those  days  read  the  newspapers,  with  eagerness,  hoping  to  find 
information  about  the  activities  of  those  who,  as  they  believed,  were 
able  to  direct  the  life  of  the  nation  into  new  and  right  channels. 

II 

Now,  allow  me  to  call  your  attention  to  another  phase  of  the  subject. 
Everything  I  have  said  thus  far  was  with  reference  to  the  clergy  and 
the  oflBcial  representatives  of  the  Greek  Orthodox  Church. 


90  TJie  Bogoiskateli;  or,  Seekers  after  God 

But  What  About  the  People? 

Take  any  book  written  by  one  who  has  become  personally  ac- 
quainted with  the  masses  of  the  Russian  people  and  you  will  invariably 
find  this  characteristic  emphasized:  "The  Russian  people  are  very 
religious."  And  the  more  a  traveler  becomes  acquainted  with  the  bulk 
of  the  people,  the  peasantry,  the  more  real  this  characteristic  will  be- 
come to  him.  And  this  is  true,  it  comes  not  only  to  the  attention  of 
the  foreigner,  but  also  to  the  Russian  himself  when  he  compares  his 
people  with  other  nations.  And  even  without  any  comparison  it  seems 
strange  that  in  an  atmosphere  of  dry  formalism  there  should  be  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people  such  a  deep  longing  for  God.  This  is  not  an 
outward,  but  an  inner  and  deeply  mystical  religiousness. 

The  Russian  people  are  true  to  their  faith  and  obedient  to  their 
clergy,  but  in  their  innermost  souls  lives  something  which  cannot  be 
disclosed  or  understood,  but  which  has  nevertheless  made  its  mark  on 
the  life  of  the  nation.  Let  us  look  at  the  Roman  Catholics.  The  people 
give  the  impression  of  having  definitely  found  faith,  and  having  found 
it,  they  live  contentedly.  It  is  therefore  difficult  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  them.  But  it  is  quite  different  with  the  Russians.  Ever  struggling, 
restless,  dissatisfied,  the  Russian  soul  has  not  found  yet  that  which 
can  satisfy  him;  he  is  seeking,  seeking  the  living  God.  And  this  is 
true  not  only  of  the  lower  classes,  but  also  of  the  middle  class  and 
even  of  the  aristocracy.  No  doubt  the  Greek  Orthodox  Church  had  its 
part  in  the  development  of  this  religious  consciousness: 

1.  She,  the  Church,  having  strict  rules  of  holiness,  which,  however, 
are  never  lived  up  to  naturally,  nourishes  within  her  children  a  con- 
sciousness of  sin  and  unworthiness.  You  can  hardly  find  among  the 
Russians  one  who  would  think  himself  not  to  be  a  sinner;  whereas, 
such  characters  are  often  found  among  the  Roman  Catholics. 

2.  By  her  deadness  she  could  not  satisfy  the  longings  of  a  sinful 
heart  for  cleansing,  but  forces  such  to  seek  satisfaction  outside  of  her 
walls.  Mark,  too,  the  Russian  people  are  not  seeking  for  a  new  religion, 
but  are  seeking  for  God  and  His  truth.  This  longing  after  truth  is  so 
strong  in  the  Russian  that  a  religion,  even  in  the  evangelical,  is  at  once 
accepted  when  he  sees  the  truth  in  it.  Remember,  the  Russian  is 
striving  not  simply  for  the  truth,  but  for  the  truth  of  God.  He  is 
longing  for  the  God  of  justice,  the  God  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Count 
Leo  Tolstoy  is  greatly  honored  and  respected  abroad,  but  do  you  know 
that  the  Russian  people,  the  lower  and  the  upper  classes  alike,  have 
already  forgotten  him.  Of  late  his  name  has  been  mentioned  only  at 
times  in  connection  with  the  anniversary  of  his  death,  or  some  holiday 
arranged  in  his  memory  by  his  close  followers.  And  this  is  because  he 
allowed  himself  to  meddle  with  the  integrity  of  the  Gospel,  having 
created  a  sort  of  higher  criticism.    And  the  Russian,  with  his  spiritual 


Prof.  1.  V.  NeprasJi  91 

nature,  will  not  accept  this.    To  him  God  is  holy  and  he  will  not  permit 
a  man  to  rob  God  of  His  divine  glory. 

The  Rise  of  Sects 

There  are  various  sects  and  religious  movements  in  Russia.  Some 
singular  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  may  serve  as  ground  for  the 
formation  of  a  sect.  Then  the  followers  will  endeavor  to  live  according 
to  the  truth,  applying  that  particular  doctrine  to  practice.  Soon  their 
own  peculiar  doctrine  will  be  adopted  and  develop  itself  sometimes 
outside  of  the  teachings  of  the  Gospel,  but  the  chief  thing  is  truth. 
A.  S.  Prugavin  is  a  well  known  student  of  sects.  Here  is  what  he  says: 
"One  or  another  faith,  one  or  another  doctrine,  is  only  good,  and  only  in 
such  a  degree  useful  as  it  serves  the  cause  of  establishing  among  the 
people  the  principles  of  love,  truth  and  peace." 

In  the  second  half  of  the  last  century,  in  the  state  of  Tver,  a  new 
movement  arose  and  began  to  capture  the  provincial  circles  quite 
rapidly.  Peasant  Sintaev  was  the  founder  of  it.  No  revelation  was 
given  to  him;  he  simply  looked  more  deeply  into  life  and  found  much 
untruth.  Prugavin  visited  these  people  and  his  impressions  are  quite 
characteristic:  "In  the  dark  woods  far  away  from  civilized  life's 
villages  the  human  heart  is  throbbing  and  unceasingly  thirsting  after 
truth.  Oh,  and  how  it  does  thirst!"  "We  have  to  explain,"  said  the  fol- 
lowers of  Sintaev,  "we  have  to  press  forward  to  the  truth.  A  part  of 
it  we  attain  as  if  through  a  clouded  glass,  the  rest  of  it  we  are  to 
search  for.  We  should  know  the  entire  law  of  God,"  Sintaev  himself 
said  to  an  interviewer;  "Oh,  if  some  one  would  give  me  that  something 
to  complete  the  knowledge  of  the  truth!  I  think  I  would  be  willing 
to  serve  such  a  man  to  the  end  of  my  days." 

The   Scoptzi   and   Chlisti 

There  are  some  fanatical  sects  in  Russia.  For  instance,  the  Scoptzi, 
who  purposely  make  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  God. 
This  very  ordinance,  their  zeal,  their  idea  of  Christ's  incarnation 
in  one  of  them,  impresses  one  as  very  unsatisfactory  teaching. 
But  when  after  my  banishment  in  1915,  while  going  around  the  country, 
I  visited  them,  then  I  understood  at  once  that  all  this  is  done  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  finding  the  true  God,  of  being  united  with  Him  or  near 
to  Him;  and  I  was  much  impressed  by  their  peaceful  life,  their  sim- 
plicity of  words  and  actions,  and  even  the  outward  order  and  cleanli- 
ness of  their  houses  and  people.  But  with  all  their  seeking  they  have 
not  yet  found  that  which  can  completely  satisfy  them. 

The  most  unsympathetic  and  even  corrupt  sect  in  Russia  is  the  sect 
of  the  Chlisti.     Moved  by  an  anxious  desire  to  find  God,  they  have 


92  The  Bogoiskateli;  or,  Seekers  after  God 

created  a  theory  that  Christ  incarnates  Himself  in  one  of  them  and 
lives  with  them  here  on  earth.  This  is  the  key-note  of  their  gatherings, 
A  prominent  part  of  their  services  is  the  fast  whirling  of  individuals, 
prophets  or  of  the  whole  congregation,  during  which  time  some  of 
them  claim  to  receive  divine  revelations.  Apparently  this  whirling  is 
foolishness,  but  look  a  little  deeper  into  it  and  you  will  find  the  same 
seeking  after  God.  They  read  the  portion  of  Scripture  from  Revelation 
14:3,  4:  "And  they  sung  as  it  were  a  new  song  before  the  throne, 
and  before  the  four  beasts,  and  the  elders;  and  no  man  could  learn 
that  song  but  the  hundred  forty  and  four  thousand,  which  were  re- 
deemed from  the  earth.  These  are  they  which  were  not  defiled  with 
women,  for  they  are  virgins."  They  interpret  this  Scripture  according 
to  their  own  understanding,  and  explain  their  practice  by  the  desire  to 
be  among  the  best  of  the  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand. 

Alexander  Shilov  is  the  propagandist  of  another  sect  called  Eunuchs. 
Here  is  the  brief  statement  of  his  life: 

Alexander  Shilov  was  of  a  restless  personality.  In  order  to  find 
the  truth  he  forsook  his  family.  He  tried  all  the  faiths  and  was  a 
leader  in  most  of  them,  but  not  one  of  them  ever  satisfied  his  hunger 
for  the  truth,  which  was  so  strong  that  he  himself  said:  "If  I  were 
to  find  the  true  faith  of  God,  then  I  would  not  spare  my  own  body,  I 
would  gladly  lay  down  my  life  for  it."  Such  seekers  after  God  you  will 
find  all  over  Russia,  and  this  may  be  proven  by  the  fact  that  almost  all 
the  sects  in  Russia  had  their  birth  among  the  masses  of  the  people. 
Believing  in  the  transmigration  of  the  soul,  the  Chlisti  carry  on  a 
strong  propaganda,  as  every  one  of  them  is  anxious  to  find  a  vessel  into 
which  his  soul  may  be  transferred  after  death.  If  a  soul  of  a  Chlisti 
should  happen  to  be  very  saintly  it  then  gf)es  directly  to  God,  and  it 
becomes  a  soul  that  is  shining  in  heaven. 

Then  followed  the  Duchobori,  the  Molokane,  the  New  Molokane,  the 
Mystic  Malevantzi  and  a  number  of  small  sects.  The  educated  classes 
of  the  Russian  people  did  not  remain  behind  the  peasants,  though  their 
seeking  after  God  manifested  itself  in  other  forms.  The  educated  Rus- 
sian seldom  professes  Greek  Orthodoxy,  but  is  nevertheless  very  re- 
ligious. Most  of  them  do  not  believe  in  the  priests,  and  therefore  they 
are  trying  to  find  the  truth  for  themselves. 

The  Clergy,    Bond-slaves 

At  the  beginning  I  painted  rather  a  dark  picture  of  the  Russian 
clergy.  It  would  be  unjust  if  I  should  let  you  go  from  here  with  a 
wrong  impression  about  them.  Among  the  lower  clergy,  and  in  very 
rare  cases  among  the  higher,  there  are  some  very  bright  personalities 
whom  we  could  name  "Bogoiskateli"  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term.  But 
they  have  been  bond-slaves  because  they  did  not  dare  to  express  them- 


Prof.  I.  V.  NeprasJi  93 

selves.  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  were  it  not  for  this  slavish  sub- 
jection of  the  clergy  Russia  would  long  ago  have  found  the  living  faith 
in  the  living  God  through  His  Book,  because  the  Orthodox  Church,  gen- 
erally speaking,  has  never  prohibited  the  reading  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. In  the  history  of  Russia  there  was  a  time  when  Czar  Alexander 
I,  a  very  religious  man,  formed  a  Holy  Alliance  of  three  European 
monarchs.  They  all  swore  to  rule  their  people  according  to  the  teach- 
ings of  the  New  Testament.  The  Russian  Bible  Society  worked  then 
most  energetically  under  the  protection  of  the  Czar  and  all  the  high 
members  of  the  government.  By  the  ministerial  order  of  Prince 
Galitzin  copies  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  were  mailed  to  the  subordinate 
officials,  and  they  were  instructed  to  guide  their  lives  by  the  Scriptures 
and  to  distribute  the  same  among  the  people.  This  may  sound  strange 
in  our  ears,  for  we  have  heard  so  much  about  the  persecutions,  but  this 
remains  an  historic  fact.  That  was  a  wonderful  time.  Can  you 
picture  a  Russian  policeman  in  the  millennium  in  the  role  of  a  col- 
porteur? This  is  exactly  what  took  place  in  Russia  at  that  time. 
Where  would  Russia  be  now  if  she  had  continued  as  then?  The  re- 
sponsibility for  her  discontinuing  must  be  borne  by  two  or  three  bishops 
who  feared  the  consequences  of  such  a  program,  and  therefore  opposed 
it. 

Ill 

The  Very   Recent   Times 

Now,  permit  me  to  say  just  a  few  words  about  the  very  recent  times. 
"In  our  days,  more  than  ever  before,  there  can  be  noticed  among  the 
Russian  people  a  general  desire  to  know  God.  This  desire  is  so  in- 
tense that  souls,  thirsting  for  salvation,  but  not  enlightened  as  to  the 
teaching  of  the  Holy  Bible,  fall  victims  of  false  and  deceptive  teachings. 
They  do  not  know  the  truth,  and  the  people  who  do  know  it  have  not 
come  to  open  their  eyes."  So  wrote  the  well  known  student  of  religious 
life  in  Russia,  Mr.  Paletsky.  These  words  were  written  in  1899,  but 
they  are  true  of  any  period  of  Russian  history  and  especially  of  the 
present.  The  same  is  true  even  of  the  horrible  and  blood-thirsty 
Bolsheviki.  Before  my  departure  to  America  I,  together  with  my 
co-workers,  were  having  fifteen  gospel  meetings  a  week  in  five  large 
halls  in  different  parts  of  Petrograd.  One  of  the  Bolsheviki  regiments 
offered  us  their  hall,  seating  300  people;  another  offered  us  the  Officers' 
Hall.  At  the  close  of  the  services  they  would  come  to  us  and  say: 
"It  is  not  enough  for  us  to  have  you  here  once  a  week,  come  oftener. 
Please  teach  us,  for  we  live  here  like  animals.  We  are  tired  of  politics, 
tell  us  more  about  God."  The  people  were  simply  hungry  for  God. 
On  the  streets  you  will  hear  about  God.  Posters  announcing  meetings 
are  to  be  seen  everywhere.     Meetings  are  held  not  only  by  the  be- 


94  The  Bogoiskateli;  or,  Seekers  after  God 

lievers,  but  also  by  other  movements  like  the  occult  scientists,  the 
spiritualists,  etc.  A  certain  professor  of  the  University  of  Petrograd, 
an  unbeliever,  whom  my  wife  knows  personally,  as  she  was  one  of  his 
students,  used  to  conduct  meetings.  He  is  a  good  man  and  wanted  to 
give  the  people  what  they  were  most  in  need  of,  and  therefore  he  read 
and  explained  to  them  the  teachings  of  the  New  Testament.  We 
should  remember  that  the  horror  of  these  war  days  and  the  ever 
present  fear  of  death  are  driving  the  people  to  God.  On  my  return  from 
Siberia,  after  the  revolution,  I  held  open-air  meetings.  This  was  a  new 
thing  in  Russia  and  the  people  came  in  masses.  At  the  close  of  a 
meeting  in  front  of  the  Winter  Palace  the  helpers  told  me  that  the 
people  were  angry  because  we  did  not  tell  them  all  this  before.  This 
message  is  the  thing  Russia  needs. 

Christian   Literature  Needed 

There  is  a  great  demand  for  Christian  literature  in  Russia.  People 
there  do  not  ask  for  a  variety  of  literature,  but  for  quantities  of  books 
and  periodicals  that  have  proven  useful.  The  price  of  paper  is  very 
high  and  the  cost  of  labor  is  still  higher.  An  ordinary  New  Testament 
now  costs  three  and  a  half  roubles  and  a  plain  Bible  as  much  as  twenty- 
two  roubles,  and  in  spite  of  these  prices  the  synodical  printing  office  is 
not  able  to  supply  the  demand.  As  editor  of  the  most  widely  circu- 
lated Protestant  Christian  magazine  I  had  information  from  all  parts 
of  the  country.  Everywhere  the  same  need  existed.  They  wrote  to  me 
asking  for  preachers.  From  one  village  they  wrote:  "We  have  a 
soldier  returned  from  the  front,  he  was  converted  there  and  now  is 
setting  the  whole  village  on  fire  for  God.    Come  and  help  us." 

Laborers  are  needed  in  Russia.  A  great  problem  is  now  before  the 
Christian  world.  Russia  is  open,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  open  to  everybody 
and  everything.  Who  will  enter  first?  Who  will  take  Russia,  Christ 
or  the  enemy?  Russia  is  now  very  sick,  and  as  such  she  is  not  to  be 
judged,  but  cured.  We  are  very  grateful  for  the  help  the  Allies  have 
given  Russia,  especially  the  United  States. 

Russians  Religious   Ideal 

Every  country  has  its  national  ideal.  For  instance,  Germany  has 
her  slogan,  "Deutschland  uber  alles."  America — well,  I  do  not  know 
much  as  I  have  been  here  only  four  months,  but  I  am  told  that 
America  knows  how  to  make  money.  Even  little  Belgium  manifested 
her  soul  in  her  once  wonderfully  flourishing  industry.  Russia  thinks 
of  herself  as  a  great  nation  in  the  future,  and  always  it  is  in  connec- 
tion with  religion.  Do  you  know  that  Russia  has  already  defined  her 
ideal  in  her  name  "Narod  Bogonosetz"  ("the  nation  that  is  the  bearer 


Prof.  I.  V.  NeprasJi  95 

of  God")?  Among  the  common  people  there  is  an  unconscious  feeling 
that  this  is  the  mission  of  Russia,  while  among  the  intelligent  classes 
this  feeling  is  expressed  in  a  movement  known  as  the  "Slavophiles." 
According  to  them  every  nation  is  called  upon  to  express  to  the  world 
its  purpose  of  existence,  and  according  to  its  purpose  is  the  greatness 
of  the  nation. 

Russia  will  be  great  when  she  comes  to  God.  Will  you  help  her  to 
come?  Will  you  tell  her  about  Jesus?  for  He  has  said:  "No  man 
cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  Me." 


The  Conference's  Message  to  President  Wilson 


On  the  evening  of  June  26th  the  following  message  pre- 
pared by  a  special  committee  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the 
conference  and  wired  to  the  President  of  the  United  States: 

To  His  Excellency,  Woodrow  Wilson, 
The  White  House,  Washington,  D.  C. 

The  First  General  Conference  for 
the  Evangelization  of  Russia,  com- 
posed of  several  thousand  American 
Christians,  representing  all  evan- 
gelical denominations,  in  session 
at  the  Moody  Tabernacle,  Chicago, 
June  24th  to  28th,  pledges  united 
loyalty  to  our  honored  President, 
assuring  him  of  earnest  and  united 
prayers  for  him  and  all  associated 
with  him  in  the  great  task  of  guiding 
the  nation  in  this  world  crisis. 

The  conference  records  its  grati- 
tude to  God  for  leading  the  Head  of 
the  Nation  to  make  such  a  clear  and 
sympathetic  declaration  in  hehalf 
of  Russia.  At  this  time  of  trial, 
when  Russia  is  passing  through  the 
fire,  she  needs  such  loyal  friends; 
and  we  "believe  that  our  President  has 
"been  guided  "by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Master  in  making  his  declaration. 

For  all  this  we  desire  to  assure 
our  honored  President  of  our  deepest 
gratitude  and  loyalty  and  also  of 
our  united  prayers. 

(Signed)    Jesse  W.  Brooks, 
Chairman. 


THE  PRESIDENT'S  RESPONSE 


The  White  House 

Washington 


June  27,  1918. 
To  Rev.  Dr.  Jesse  W.  Brooks,  Chairman, 
Conference  for  the  Evangelization 
of  Russia, 

Chicago,  111. 

My  Dear  Doctor  Brooks  : 

The  President  asks  me  to  thank 
you  very  warmly  for  your  telegram  of 
June  26th  and  to  tell  you  and  your 
associates  that  he  deeply  appreciates 
your  generous  approbation  and 
patriotic  support.  Your  heartening 
message  affords  him  just  the  sort 
of  stimulation  that  he  needs. 

Sincerely  yours, 
(Signed)    J.  P.  Tumulty, 

Secretary  to  the  President. 


WHAT  HAS  BEEN  DONE  TO  EVANGELIZE 

RUSSIA? 

By  REV.  CHARLES  A.  BLANCHARD,  D.  D. 

I  WISH  to  say  one  or  two  things  suggested  by  the  remarks  of  my 
Brother  Neprash,  who  preceded  me,  and  the  first  is  this:  He  said 
that  Russia  was  extremely  religious.  Now  that  is  true  of  every 
country  in  the  world  in  which  there  is  a  false  religion.  That  is  true 
of  all  Roman  Catholic  countries,  and  of  all  pagan  countries;  they  are 
extremely  religious.  And  we  shall  never  understand  the  situation  of 
the  world  until  we  learn  that  the  most  terrible  foe  of  Christianity  is 
religion.  When  you  send  a  Christian  missionary  to  Japan  or  to  India, 
to  Russia  or  to  Poland,  or  anywhere  else,  those  who  will  oppose  him 
the  most  bitterly  are  the  masters  of  the  religion  of  the  nation.  That 
has  always  been  so. 

I  desire  to  remark,  in  the  second  place,  that  ritualism  is  as  possible 
to  Protestants  as  it  is  to  Catholics.  It  is  quite  as  possible  for  Protes- 
tants, Congregationalists,  Baptists,  Presbyterians  and  Lutherans,  or 
any  other  people  to  get  to  be  mere  ritualists  as  it  is  for  Romanists,  or 
Greeks.  And  when  you  find  a  Protestant  who  is  a  mere  ritualist,  you 
will  find  that  he  is  in  exactly  the  same  condition  spiritually  as  the 
Roman  Catholic,  or  the  Greek  Catholic,  who  is  a  mere  ritualist.  Get 
enough  of  them  together  and  you  will  have  the  same  civilization  under 
Protestanism  that  you  would  have  under  Catholicism.  Now  we  should 
remember  that,  because  we  are  all  in  danger  of  becoming  ritualists,  we 
are  all  in  danger  of  going  through  certain  forms  and  thinking  that  we 
are  all  right  because  we  do  go  through  them,  though  there  is  no  salva- 
tion except  in  Christ. 

The  third  suggestion  is  this:  You  will  remember  our  brother  said 
that  there  were  a  great  many  of  these  sects  in  Russia,  and  he  mentioned 
a  number  of  them.  I  was  just  asking  him  whether  these  sects  were 
open  seceders  from  the  Greek  Church  or  not,  and  he  said  that  out- 
wardly they  conformed,  and  I  suppose  that  that  is  true.  So  we  must 
still  think  of  the  Greek  Church  as  the  Church  of  the  Russian  people; 
a  fact  which  I  think  is  changing  very  rapidly,  and  which  I  hope  is  to 
change  much  more  rapidly,  and  which  I  hope  is  to  be  changed  in  large 
measure  by  the  results  of  our  meeting  here;  but  a  fact  still, — the 
religion  of  the  Russian  people  is  the  Greek  Catholic.  I  have  only  one 
thing  more  of  this  general  sort  to  say,  and  that  is  that  as  Luther  and 
Fenelon  and  Madam  Guyon  and  Thomas  a  Kempis  and  Saint  Francis  of 
Assist  became  humble  Christians  while  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 

98 


Rev.  Charles  A.  Blanchard  99 

seekers  after  God  who  really  found  Him,  not  simply  seekers,  but 
seekers  who  found  Him;  so  there  are  undoubtedly  in  the  Greek  Catholic 
Church  many  humble  God-fearing  souls,  men  and  women  who  in  their 
darkness,  feeling  after  God  if  haply  they  may  find  Him,  do  find  Him; 
because,  you  know,  God  is  so  anxious  to  save  anybody  that  He  puts 
Himself  in  the  road  to  meet  any  soul  that  is  really  seeking  after  Him. 
And  I  imagine  that  one  of  the  things  that  we  will  be  greatly  sur- 
prised about  by  and  by  is  to  see  how  many  really  saved  people  there 
are  in  these  horrible  countries  about  which  we  are  hearing  from  time 
to  time. 

I  am  very  much  afraid  that  I  am  going  to  say  something  I  ought 
not.  My  wife  said  to  me,  as  I  was  leaving  the  house:  "Now,  don't 
tell  the  people  any  of  these  horrible  stories.  They  are  enough  to  make 
the  women  faint  away."  And  I  was  greatly  interested  to  see  that  my 
brother  did  not  speak  of  the  horrible  things  at  all,  and  I  am  going  to 
try  to  avoid  them.  But  if  I  slip  once  in  a  while,  you  will  forgive  me 
on  the  ground  that  I  am  not  going  to  give  you  a  great  many  things, 
which  are  absolutely  true,  and  which  I  believe  people  ought  to  know; 
but  I  shall  not  tell  them  in  view  of  this  domestic  situation  that  I 
have  just  revealed  to  you. 

Look  on  the  Fields 

The  first  thing  I  was  intending  to  say  this  morning  was  that  in  a 
meeting  of  this  kind  we  ought  to  get  back  to  John  4:35,  "Lift  up 
your  eyes,  and  look  on  the  fields,  for  they  are  white  already  to  har- 
vest." The  trouble  with  us  is  that  we  do  not  lift  up  our  eyes  enough, — 
we  keep  them  down.  You  women  are  looking  at  the  floor  and  the 
dinner  table  and  the  kitchen  stove,  and  you  are  looking  at  the  ironing 
and  things  of  that  kind, — and  that  is  very  desirable,  it  helps  us  men 
to  have  better  times, — but  the  Bible  tells  us  to  look  up.  "Lift  up 
your  eyes,  and  look  on  the  fields."  Now  if  we  can  only  get  to  doing 
that  more,  we  will  have  more  sympathy  with  people.  The  failure  to 
do  this  very  thing  that  I  speak  of  is  one  reason  why  we  are  as  selfish 
as  we  are,  and  why  we  are  so  mean  as  we  are,  and  why  we  are  so 
self-conceited,  and  why  God  can  use  us  so  little.  If  we  could  cultivate 
the  habit  of  keeping  our  eyes  on  the  field,  keeping  our  eyes  fixed 
upward,  and  not  on  our  own  little  corners,  we  should  sympathize  with 
people  more;  and  that  would  lead  us  to  greater  exertions  for  them, 
and  we  should  accomplish  a  thousand  things  for  the  world  we  never 
will  accomplish  unless  we  lift  up  our  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields.  I 
was  struck  by  the  map  that  was  here  yesterday, — that  wonderful 
map,  showing  the  size  of  Russia.  The  minute  you  lift  up  your  eyes, 
and  look  on  that  field,  that  is  the  first  impression  you  will  get.  Here 
is  a  country  with  nine  million  square  miles  of  territory  in  it.     Now 


J  00  What  Has  Been  Done  to  EvangeUzc  Russia? 

we  think  our  country  is  fairly  large,  but  we  have  only  a  little  over 
three  and  a  half  million  square  miles.  Russia  has  nine  million  square 
miles  of  territory.  We  consider  our  nation  great  in  population.  We 
have  in  round  numbers  110  million  people.  We  generally  say  Russia 
has  180  millions.  I  think  it  is  more  than  likely  that  Russia  has  200 
million  people.  I  judge  the  census  is  not  fully  taken  in  Russia.  There 
are  large  parts  of  that  wonderful  land,  where  it  is  not  perfectly  safe 
for  people  to  go  unless  they  are  under  armed  protection.  So  I  think 
we  may  say  in  round  numbers  that  Russia  has  about  twice  as  many 
people  as  we  have  here,  and  we  think  that  we  are  quite  a  nation. 

Religious  but  Superstitious 

Then  when  we  look  at  these  people  again  we  are  reminded  of  a  fact 
which  I  have  already  mentioned,  but  which  I  wish  to  repeat, — the 
Russians  are  an  extremely  religious  people;  and,  as  Dr.  Brooks  was 
just  saying,  if  a  man  has  a  religious  faith  which  is  not  based  on  the 
work  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  has  a  religious  faith  that  will  not 
only  not  do  him  any  good;  but  that  will  actually  do  him  harm. 

I  was  leaving  the  State  Capitol  in  Springfield  one  time,  when  we  had 
a  state  teachers'  meeting  there;  and  I  stopped  in  a  little  store  where 
they  carried  fruit  and  stationery  and  so  on,  and  I  said  to  the  young 
man  behind  the  counter,  "Are  you  a  Christian  man?"  He  said,  "Yes." 
I  said,  "Well,  I  am  a  Protestant.  Do  you  think  I  can  get  saved?" 
Well,  he  thought  perhaps  I  might  be  saved.  I  said,  "Supposing  I  was 
not  a  Christian,  could  you  tell  me  how  I  could  get  converted?"  "Why, 
yes."  "All  right,"  I  said,  "tell  me."  "What  you  want  to  do  is  to  make 
a  confession  and  receive  absolution  and  do  penance,  and  then  you 
will  get  saved."  Now  one  of  my  young  women  came  to  me  and  stood 
by  my  desk  one  day,  and  I  said  to  her,  "Where  do  you  stand  on  this 
great  subject  of  religion?"  "Well,"  she  said.  "I  am  a  Catholic."  I 
said,  "Maybe  then  you  can  tell  mc  the  difference  between  the  Catholics 
and  the  Protestants."  No,  she  didn't  think  she  could.  "Would  you 
like  to  have  me  tell  you,  then?"  Yes,  she  was  anxious  to  know;  and  so 
I  said,  "The  difference  is  just  here.  Both  the  Catholics  and  the  Protes- 
tants teach  that  we  are  saved  through  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ, 
but  the  Catholics  say  that  in  order  to  get  the  benefit  of  that  sacrifice 
you  need  the  offices  of  a  priest  and  the  sacraments  of  the  church;  and 
the  Protestants  teach  that  wherever  a  poor  sinner  is  sorry  because  he 
has  sinned,  and  looks  up  to  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  says,  'Father, 
I  am  sorry,  I  pray  you  to  forgive  me  for  Jesus'  sake,'  we  teach  that  he 
gets  pardoned  right  there,  without  waiting  for  any  priest,  without 
waiting  for  any  sacraments."  This  dear  young  woman  had  been 
anxious  about  her  soul  for  some  time,  and  when  I  said  that  to  her,  she 
said,  "That  is  what  I  believe."    She  said,  "I  believe  that  when  we  re- 


Eev.  Charles  A.  Blanchard  101 

pent  of  our  sins,  and  ask  God  to  forgive  us,  He  does  it  right  then  and 
there."  I  said,  "Then  you  are  not  a  Catholic,  you  must  be  a  Protestant, 
for  Catholics  do  not  believe  that."  Now  it  is  a  terrible  thing  to  have 
a  nation  of  two  hundred  million  pneople  brought  up  in  a  ritualistic 
church  where  the  truth  which  they  really  have  is  buried  under  forms 
and  ceremonies  and  is  corrupted  by  the  priesthood.  It  is  a  fright- 
ful thing;  and  if  we  pity  anybody  we  ought  to  pity  people  of  that 
sort. 

300   Years   Under   Romanoifs. 

In  the  second  place,  I  was  going  to  speak  of  the  government,  which 
is  and  has  been  for  three  hundred  years  and  more,  as  you  know,  in 
the  hands  of  the  Romanoffs.  The  life  and  property,  the  liberty  and 
freedom,  of  all  those  people  have  been  absolutely  in  the  hand  of  that 
one  man,  the  Czar.  If  he  chose  to  send  a  man  to  exile,  he  sent  him, 
and  nobody  could  say  anything  or  do  anything.  If  he  chose  to  send 
a  man  to  prison,  to  prison  he  went;  and  so  it  is  one  of  the  great  cen- 
ters, that  is,  it  has  been,  one  of  the  great  centers  of  autocracy.  It  is 
one  of  the  marvels  of  the  world  that  you  and  I  have  lived  to  see  that 
great  military  power  which  has  been  standing  now  for  a  thousand 
years  and  more,  this  single  house  occupying  the  throne  for  over  three 
hundred  years,  since  1613, — it  is  a  marvelous  thing  that  you  and  I 
have  seen  that  thing  tumble  and  fall,  as  it  were,  in  a  day.  -This  seems 
to  be  the  result  of  a  great  many  things  that  we  do  not  know  anything 
about,  although  we  do  know  about  some  few  of  them.  But  when  we 
have  added  those  things  together,  we  must  leave  a  large  margin  for 
the  special  providence  of  God.  Take,  for  example,  that  flood  which 
has  checked  the  central  powers  in  their  rush  toward  the  south,  and 
has  given  the  Italian  army,  hard  pressed,  such  a  wonderful  victory  as 
we  find  in  our  papers  today.  Who  is  to  attribute  that  to  men?  Who 
is  to  say  that  that  is  the  result  of  man's  doings?  Undoubtedly  those 
Italian  soldiers  have  done  their  duty  as  well  as  they  could,  but  God 
controls  the  clouds,  and  He  caused  the  floods  in  the  river,  and  He 
swept  away  those  twelve  or  fourteen  bridges,  and  He  penned  up  those 
Austrian  troops  on  the  south  bank  of  that  river,  and  He  it  is  that  has 
given  this  victory  to  our  armies;  and  if  we  do  not  recognize  this,  we 
shall  sin  against  Him,  and  we  will  imperil  our  future  and  put  off  the 
time  of  victory  which  we  are  hoping  for. 

Now  the  religious  life  of  these  people  has  been,  as  you  know,  strictly 
Greek  Catholic,  and  it  has  been  Greek  Catholic  in  this  way.  Men  came 
into  the  Greek  Catholic  religion  not  by  conversion  or  adoption  but  by 
birth.  A  man  was  born  a  Greek  Catholic,  if  he  was  born  a  Russian. 
He  had  no  right  to  choose  any  other  religion.  He  was  under  obligation 
to  stay  a  Greek   Catholic,  and   if  he  undertook   to  leave  the   Greek 


102  What  Has  Been  Done  to  Evangelize  Russia? 

Catholic  Church  there  were  fines  and  floggings  and  imprisonments 
and  banishments  and  death  which  awaited  him.  I  do  not  know  any- 
thing which  reads  so  much  like  the  last  part  of  the  eleventh  chapter  of 
Hebrews  as  the  story  of  the  dealings  of  the  government  with  the  poor 
people  in  Russia  under  the  rule  of  the  Greek  Catholic  Church  and  the 
Romanoffs.  In  every  police  station  there,  there  was  what  they  called 
a  flogging  bench.  You  do  not  have  to  be  told  that  the  common  instru- 
ment of  flogging  in  Russia  for  I  don't  know  how  many  centuries  has 
been  the  knout.  I  suppose  you  all  know  that  the  knout  is  a  sort  of 
cat-o'-nine-tails,  a  leather  whip  with  some  sort  of  metal  at  the  tip  of 
each  lash  to  make  it  tear  the  flesh  when  it  strikes;  and  that  that  has 
been  the  common  method  of  keeping  people  true  to  the  Greek  Catholic 
Church.  If  men  or  women  undertook  to  break  loose  from  the  Greek 
Church,  that  was  one  of  the  means  that  was  used  to  bring  them  into 
line  and  hold  them  steady.  The  nobility,  the  aristocracy,  I  suppose, 
were  not  subjected  to  this  degradation  and  infamy;  but  the  common 
people,  the  poor  people  of  Russia,  were  commonly  subjected  to  this 
sort  of  thing;  and  deaths  were  very  common  as  the  result  of  these 
floggings. 

I  am  not  going  to  talk  to  you  about  the  prisons  of  Russia.  I  sup- 
pose you  have  all  read  of  them.  I  think  a  jail  in  America  is  a  palace 
compared  with  the  prisons  of  Russia.  And  this  is  another  of  the 
means  which  have  been  adopted  for  keeping  people  true  to  the  Greek 
Catholic  Church.  Banishments,  of  course,  we  do  not  have  to  speak 
about.  Siberia  is  changing.  When  we  read  about  the  wonderful 
crops  they  can  raise  there,  we  are  led  to  imagine  that  it  wouldn't  be 
such  a  terrible  thing  after  all,  to  be  sent  to  Siberia.  But  when 
you  see  the  pictures  of  those  men  with  their  hands  chained  and 
with  heavy  shackles  on  their  feet,  and  think  of  those  people 
marching  for  flve  hundred  or  eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  miles  and 
then  landing  in  some  prison, — when  you  see  the  thing  as  it  is,  I  don't 
think  any  of  you  will  desire  to  be  banished  to  Siberia.  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  Siberia  is  yet  to  become  a  Christian  land  and  to  be  one 
of  the  great  lands  of  the  world.  It  is  much  like  Alaska,  which  once 
we  looked  upon  as  a  land  of  icebergs  and  walrus  and  what  not,  yet 
now  we  find  gold  in  many  portions  and  furs,  coal,  timber  and  fruitful 
fields.  We  paid  seven  and  a  half  millions  for  Alaska,  but  we  are  getting 
hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars  from  the  gold  mines  and  the  fur-bear- 
ing animals  of  Alaska  alone.  We  may  in  Siberia,  by  and  by,  find  that 
with  despotism  banished  and  under  Christian  institutions,  that  land 
will  be  a  very  desirable  place  to  live  in.  But  the  stories  of  banish- 
ment to  Siberia  have  not  been  such  as  attracted.  These  four  or  five 
methods,  the  fines  which  impoverished  the  poor  Christian  people  of 
Russia;  the  floggings,  which  sometimes  took  tlieir  lives,  and  some- 
times  crippled   them   for   life,   and   always   humiliated   and  degraded 


Eev.  Charles  A.  Blanchard  103 

them;  the  imprisonments,  which  were  at  the  will  of  the  authorities  of 
the  government  and  the  parish  priests,  who  in  many  cases  had  power 
to  send  any  person  they  wished  to  a  prison  or  a  flogging  bench;  and 
the  banishments,  and  the  deaths  which  have  been  inflicted  upon  our 
brothers  over  there;  these  were  the  ways  in  which  the  Greek  Catholic 
Church  maintained  its  power  over  the  people.  This  suggests  to  us  all 
the  methods  of  the  Romish  Church  in  Italy  and  in  Spain  and  in 
Austria,  and  what  would  be  its  methods  in  this  country,  if  only  it  had 
the  power. 

The  Religious  Liberty  in  Russia 

Now,  just  a  word  about  religious  liberty  in  Russia,  because  we  used 
to  hear  when  I  was  a  boy  that  liberty  had  been  proclaimed  in  Russia, 
and  I,  at  least,  did  not  know  what  it  meant,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  I 
know  perfectly  now;  but  I  will  give  you  the  best  idea  I  can  of  it. 
I  understand  "religious  liberty"  in  Russia  meant  that  if  you  were  per- 
mitted to  live  in  Russia  and  you  were  a  citizen  of  another  country, 
you  would  have  the  privilege  of  worshipping  according  to  your  own 
religion,  while  you  were  in  Russia,  provided  you  did  it  very  quietly, 
so  that  not  many  people  heard  about  it,  and  so  that  nobody  was  at- 
tracted to  it.  But  you  were  not  permitted  to  go  to  somebody  and 
say,  "I  know  about  Someone  that  forgives  sins.  Someone  that  heals 
sick  bodies.  I  know  Somebody  that  relieves  men  from  the  fear  of 
death.  Now,  would  you  like  to  hear  about  Him?"  That  you  were  not 
permitted  to  do,  for  it  was  a  penal  offense  for  anybody  to  evangelize 
a  Russian,  and  a  penal  offense  for  any  Russian  to  wish  to  be  evan- 
gelized. Take,  for  example,  Count  Pashkoff.  When  he  became  an 
humble  Christian, — although  a  man  of  nobility, — ^he  was  banished 
to  Siberia,  because  they  didn't  want  him  to  teach  the  Bible  and  pray 
in  Russia,  so  he  was  sent  to  Siberia.  After  he  had  been  there  a  while 
his  friends  got  up  a  petition  and  said,  "We  want  you  to  let  him  go 
home  and  look  after  his  business."  And  the  Czar  let  him  go.  Of 
course,  his  friends  were  delighted  to  know  that  he  had  come  back, 
and  they  began  from  time  to  time  to  meet  in  little  groups  in  his 
house  to  pray  and  speak  together  of  the  things  of  God.  Word  of  these 
gatherings  got  to  the  Czar,  and  he  said,  "I  hear  you  are  at  your  old 
tricks."  The  Count  said,  "Well,  your  majesty,  it  is  true  that  my 
friends  have  called  on  me,  and  when  they  have  called  upon  me  we  have 
spoken  together  of  the  goodness  of  God,  and  we  have  prayed  together. 
That  is  true.  I'll  not  deny  it."  And  the  Czar  said,  "That  is  exactly 
what  I  don't  want  you  to  do.  You  go  back  to  Siberia  as  quickly  as 
you  can,  and  don't  you  ever  put  foot  in  Russia  again."  This  was  in 
the  age  of  "religious  liberty"  in  Russia.  This  was  in  the  times  when 
we  were  told  in  our  geographies  that  all  religions  were  free  in  Russia. 


104  What  Has  Been  Done  to  Evangelize  Russia f 

That  meant  really,  I  suppose,  that  the  Greek  religion  was  free  to  all, 
and  the  religions  of  the  other  people  were  free  to  those  who  had 
thenl,  if  they  wouldn't  mention  it. 

Work  of  Lord  Radstock  and  Dr.  Baedeker 

Now  that  was  Russian  religious  liberty.  No  liberty  to  change  your 
religion  from  the  Greek  Church,  if  you  were  a  Russian;  but  liberty 
to  carry  on  your  religion,  if  you  were  not  a  Russian  and  were  per- 
mitted to  live  in  the  country  by  a  passport,  permission  to  carry  on 
your  religion  provided  you  wouldn't  in  any  wise  invite  anybody  else 
to  take  your  faith.  You  say,  "Well,  then,  how  did  religion  get  on  in 
Russia  at  all?"  I  mean  the  Christian  faith  apart  from  the  few  people 
that  through  the  mists  of  the  Greek  Church  arrived  at  the  real  truth. 
How  did  it  get  on?  Now  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  it  was  in  two  ways 
chiefly.  First,  by  way  of  the  Bible  societies.  The  British  and  For- 
eign Bible  Society  has  for  years  operated  in  Russia.  Dr.  Baedeker, 
for  example,  traversed  the  whole  of  that  empire,  distributing  Bibles 
and  portions  of  the  Word  of  God  wherever  he  went,  in  prison  camps 
and  prison  settlements,  and  wherever  he  could  find  people  that  were 
willing  to  receive  the  Word  of  God.  Now  Dr.  Baedeker,  of  course, 
was  not  a  Russian  and  he  did  not,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn, 
attempt  in  any  wise  to  unsettle  the  power  of  the  Greek  Church;  but 
he  did  attempt  to  get  the  Bible,  the  Word  of  God,  into  the  hands  of 
the  Russian  people,  rich  and  poor,  prisoners  and  free,  wherever  he 
could.  He  didn't  try  to  get  people  to  unite  with  any  church,  but  he 
did  try  to  get  them  to  lean  upon  the  Word  of  God.  Now  from  that 
sowing,  there  were  multitudes  of  Christian  hearts  in  Russia.  Then 
there  was  in  the  north  of  Russia  the  ministry  of  Lord  Radstock,  who 
held  parlor  meetings  in  the  houses  of  the  nobility.  Whenever  there 
was  permission  given  to  hold  parlor  meetings.  Lord  Radstock,  or  Dr. 
Baedeker,  would  go  and  speak  to  those  people  concerning  the  Gospel 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  there  was  a  large  work  done  among  the 
aristocracy  and  nobility  in  the  north  of  Russia.  Men  were  evangelized, 
not  in  that  a  meeting  was  called  and  an  evangelistic  campaign  con- 
ducted, and  people  urged  to  confess  their  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  but 
quietly  from  house  to  house  these  men  and  women  were  permitted  to 
go  and  carry  with  them  the  Word  of  God;  and  in  a  very  quiet,  unpre- 
tentious way  speak  to  the  people  whom  they  met  regarding  the  faith 
that  is  in  Jesus  Christ. 

Among-  Peasants  of  Southern  Russia 

In  the  south   of  Russia  there  seems  to  have  been  a  good  deal  of 
peasant  population  from  Germany,  which  was  Christian.     There  seem 


Rev.  Charles  A.  Blanchard  105 

to  have  been  people  coming  over  the  border  with  the  privilege  of 
taking  their  religion  with  them  for  themselves,  but  not  of  giving  it  to 
any  of  the  peasants  around  them.  Some  one  says  that  men  are  driven 
to  God  either  from  a  sense  of  guilt  or  from  a  sense  of  need.  Now  there 
is  no  question  that  a  sense  of  need  was  very  great  among  these  mil- 
lions of  people  in  Russia;  living  in  little  earthen  floored  homes,  feed- 
ing on  black  bread,  drinking  water  or  a  little  goat's  milk,  or  whatever 
they  could  get,  and  getting  along  in  the  best  way  they  could, — this 
was  their  habit  of  life.  And  that  sort  of  experience  naturally  drives 
a  man  to  reach  out  after  some  one  that  will  sympathize  with  him  and 
help  him.  And  when  these  peasant  populations  in  southern  Russia 
found  that  there  were  people  that  had  talked  about  another  kind  of 
religion  that  had  some  light  in  it  and  some  hope  in  it,  they  were  at- 
tracted to  it.  Their  meetings  were  held  in  little  homes  at  midnight, 
out  in  the  depths  of  the  forests;  they  were  continually  under  police 
supervision.  Often  times  at  midnight  the  husband  would  be  dragged 
away.  Perhaps  the  wife,  broken-hearted,  would  undertake  to  follow 
her  husband,  walking  six  hundred  or  a  thousand  miles  sometimes,  as 
best  she  could.  This  was  the  way  the  work  went  on  in  South  Russia. 
But  in  spite  of  the  fines  and  in  spite  of  the  imprisonments,  in  spite 
of  the  flogging  benches,  in  spite  of  death,  this  religion  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  did  make  progress  in  Russia.  And  now,  I  suppose  for 
fifty  or  a  hundred  years,  this  evangelistic  propaganda,  limited  in  so 
many  ways  and  so  extremely  hidden  from  the  world,  has  been  going 
forward.  What  is  the  relation  of  this  past  to  the  present?  I  am  not 
prepared  to  tell  you  because  I  am  not  a  prophet,  and  I  do  not  know 
things  that  God  has  kept  in  His  own  power;  but  it  is  my  conviction 
that  the  present  revolution  in  Russia,  the  banishment  of  the  Czar,  and 
the  proclamation  of  religious  liberty  throughout  the  whole  empire, 
have  resulted  from  the  hidden  labors  of  these  teachers  in  the  north, 
and  these  peasant  peoples  in  the  south  and  central  portions  of  the 
empire.  As  I  said,  I  cannot  prove  this.  Did  the  evangelization  which 
has  been  carried  on  in  these  hidden  ways,  with  terror  of  life,  result 
in  the  present  political  and  religious  upheaval  in  Russia?  Personally, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  it  did.  No  power  but  Christianity  has  ever  made 
a  people  battle  successfully  for  liberty.  Men  must  know  the  truth,  or 
they  never  can  be  tree. 

America's  Debt  to  Russia 

The  question  now  before  this  conference  is.  What  ought  a  people 
like  the  American  people  to  do  for  a  people  like  the  Russian  people? 
What  ought  a  people  favored  as  we  have  been  to  do  for  a  people  so 
unfavored  as  the  Russian  people  have  been?  Most  of  us  have  never 
suffered  for  our  faith  very  much.    Here  we  are,  a  great  nation  of  110 


106  What  Has  Been  Done  to  Evangelize  Russia? 

million  people,  with  one  of  the  most  fruitful  lands  in  the  world  under 
our  feet,  and  one  of  the  most  genial  skies  in  the  world  over  our  heads, 
with  absolute  religious  liberty  for  every  man  to  speak  and  sing  and 
pray  and  come  and  go  as  he  pleases.  What  do  we  owe  to  two  hun- 
dred million  people  who  have  been  under  the  wheel,  in  terror  of  their 
lives, — what  do  we  owe  to  these  people  at  the  present  time?  Now  you 
all  know  that  there  is  in  progress  a  movement  to  send  the  printed 
Word  to  Russia  much  more  largely  than  ever  before;  and  to  secure 
from  the  groups  of  young  Russians  who  are  in  this  country,  men  who 
will  willingly  go  there  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  their  people.  I  do  not 
have  to  tell  any  of  you  that  the  native  speaker  is  the  man  who  has 
to  do  the  most  of  the  missionary  work.  But  I  put  the  question  to  you, 
What  does  a  nation  like  ours,  in  circumstances  such  as  ours,  owe  to 
a  nation  like  Russia,  a  nation  where  the  Gospel  has  never  been  free 
until  within  the  last  two  years,  a  nation  which  has  been  very  largely, 
in  fact  almost  absolutely  penalized  in  property  and  liberty  and  person 
and  life  if  it  should  undertake  to  confess  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ 
that  you  and  I  are  free  here  to  confess?  What  do  we  owe  to  a  people 
of  that  kind? 

Paul  said,  "I  am  a  debtor,"  "I  am  ready,"  "I  am  not  ashamed." 
Certainly  we  are  debtors,  but  are  we  ready  to  pay  our  debt?  If  we 
are,  and  pay  it,  we  need  not  be  ashamed.  But  if  we  are  not  ready  to 
pay,  we  should  be  ashamed.  I  trust  that  the  result  of  our  assembling 
will  be  that  in  some  measure  at  least  the  blessings  we  so  freely  enjoy 
may  be  the  happy  lot  of  the  great  people  in  whose  name  we  meet. 


WHAT  HAS  BEEN  DONE  FOR  THESE 

PEOPLE  AND  THEIR  NEIGHBORS 

NOW  IN  AMERICA? 

A  SYMPOSIUM 

REV.  JESSE  AV.  BROOKS,  PH.  D. 
Superintendent  of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society,  presiding 

FOR  ten  years  before  the  beginning  of  this  present  war  the 
immigration  to  our  country  averaged  about  a  million  a  year. 
Of  the  ten  million  people  who  came  during  the  ten  years, 
seventy  per  cent  were  from  eastern  and  southeastern  Europe.  No  such 
peaceful  invasion  of  alien  people  was  ever  known  in  the  history  of  any 
country  before.  Chicago  has  been  both  a  "nerve-center"  and  a 
"storm-center"  for  this  alien  population,  and  we  are  just  now  begin- 
ning to  understand  what,  in  the  providence  of  God,  it  all  means. 

Foreign  Mission  Work  in  America 

You  will  all  notice  that  this  particular  part  of  our  program  is  sug- 
gested in  connection  with  the  work  of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society. 
There  are  two  reasons  why  I  want  to  say  a  few  words  about  the  work 
of  that  society.  In  the  first  place,  while  here  in  the  heart  of  America, 
it  has  always  been  essentially  -foreign  mission  work,  almost  all  of  it 
being  done  among  foreign-speaking  people.  The  first  secretary  of  the 
society,  Rev.  Dr.  Elwood  M.  Wherry,  was,  and  is  still,  a  well  known 
foreign  missionary  of  India.  Twenty-nine  years  ago  he  was  in  this 
country  on  furlough,  and  was  necessarily  detained  here  for  several 
years,  on  account  of  the  education  of  his  children.  It  was  then,  with 
the  instinct  and  impulse  of  the  foreign  missionary,  seeking  how  he 
might  continue  his  life  program  which  seemed  to  be  interrupted,  that, 
with  the  help  of  leading  representatives  of  the  Chicago  churches,  he 
effected  the  organization  of  this  society.  It  was,  at  the  very  first, 
and  has  been  ever  since,  essentially  in  spirit  a  foreign  mission  work; 
and  at  the  present  time  there  is  under  the  direction  of  the  society  a 
corps  of  missionaries  who  are  actually  speaking  in  the  aggregate 
twenty-six  languages  and  who  are  circulating  the  Gospel  through  the 
printed  page  in  thirty-eight. 

107 


108  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

An  Interdenominational  Model 

The  other  reason  why  I  want  to  say  just  a  word  about  the  Chicago 
Tract  Society  is,  the  fact  that  the  society  has  been  from  the  very  be- 
ginning strictly  evangelical  and  also  thoroughly  interdenominational. 
No  sectarian  or  denominational  question  has  ever  been  allowed  to 
interfere  with  the  work.  At  the  beginning,  almost  twenty-nine  years 
ago,  the  organization  was  effected  by  ministers  and  laymen  of  eight 
leading  denominations.  The  work  has  grown  and  extended  from  year 
to  year  and  there  is  no  evangelical  denomination  which  has  not  been 
helped,  and  which  has  not  to  some  extent  been  brought  into  co-opera- 
tion with  others  in  the  society.  The  work  has  been  done  in  a  way 
to  help  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  We  have  emphasized  the 
great  truths  of  evangelical  Christianity,  in  which  we  are  all  agreed; 
and  we  have  purposely  passed  by  those  minor  matters  wherein  we 
have  sometimes  differed.  Now  there  are  some  of  us,  who  have  been 
hoping  and  praying  that  in  this  new  Alliance  which  we  are  forming 
for  the  evangelization  of  Russia,  this  same  thoroughly  evangelical 
and  strictly  interdenominational  ideal  might  be  realized. 

The  Russians  in  America 

Many  times  in  these  recent  months  I  have  been  asked  how  I  came 
to  be  especially  interested  in  Russia.  I  have  answered:  "Because  of 
the  fact  that,  for  eighteen  years,  I  have  been  associated  with  men  who 
were  formerly  workers  in  Russia,  and  who  are  now  working  among 
the  Russian-speaking  people  in  America."  Eighteen  years  ago,  in 
answer  to  prayer,  God  sent  to  us  here  in  Chicago  a  Russian  Polish 
brother,  Mr.  Constantine  Antoszewski.  Many  times  he  has  told  me 
about  his  experiences  among  the  people  in  Russia  where  he  began 
missionary  work  soon  after  his  conversion;  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  me 
to  introduce  him  to  you  at  this  time.  He  will  speak  of  the  conditions 
and  needs  among  the  Russian  Poles  who  are  here  in  the  United  States. 

THE  RUSSIAN  POLES 
By  CONSTANTINE  ANTOSZEWSKI  of  Chicago 

Before  I  tell  you  what  has  been  done  for  my  people  in  this 
country,  let  me  first  say  something  of  the  difficulties  which  we 
meet  everywhere.  The  Bible,  for  instance,  is  a  forbidden  book; 
and  whenever  we  try  to  introduce  it,  the  people  tell  us  so.  Again,  we 
hear  everywhere  that  if  one  reads  the  Bible,  he  will  become  insane. 
The  last  objection  is  that  the  common  people  cannot  understand  it. 
These  are  the  common  objections  to  the  Bible. 


A  Symposium  109 

First  Missionary  Journey 

Thirty-five  years  ago,  immediately  after  my  conversion,  I  went  on 
my  first  missionary  journey  to  a  neighboring  town  in  Poland,  with  a 
man  employed  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  I  asked  him 
to  take  me  along  and  promised  to  help  him  the  best  I  could,  without 
any  pay  whatever.  We  went,  and  after  a  few  days  I  met  a  woman  on 
the  street,  who  told  me  that  the  Testament  I  had  sold  her,  was  false. 
I  suggested  that  I  would  go  with  her  to  the  priest  and  she  consented. 
When  we  came  to  the  priest,  I  asked  if  it  was  true  that  he  forbade  the 
reading  of  the  Testament.  He  said:  "Yes,  because  it  is  a  false  book." 
We  compared  our  Testaments  and  he  found  that  there  was  no  differ- 
ence between  them.  Then  he  exclaimed:  "The  Bible  is  not  the  only 
authority,  but  rather  the  chiircli,  and  you  ought  to  obey  the  church." 
I  informed  him  that  I  would  obey  the  church,  provided  the  church 
would  obey  Jesus  Christ;  but  otherwise  I  would  never  obey  the  church. 
We  parted. 

On  the  following  morning  I  went  to  church  to  find  out  whether 
they  would  warn  the  people  against  my  work.  It  was  a  different 
priest  that  conducted  the  service,  and  this  is  what  he  said  in  conclu- 
sion. "Oh  yes,  a  young  antichrist  has  appeared  in  our  city  and  pre- 
tends to  bring  you  the  New  Testament,  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 
But  it  is  not  the  New  Testament,  or  the  Gospel,  although  it  looks  very 
much  like  it.  He  is  sent  here  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 
to  turn  you  away  from  our  holy  faith." 

But  some  one  will  say:  "This  was  thirty-five  years  ago  and  far 
away  in  Poland."  Last  summer  when  I  was  preaching  on  the  streets 
of  Chicago  in  the  company  of  the  students  from  the  Moody  Institute, 
a  man  shook  his  fist  at  me,  and  said:  "Who  gave  you  the  authority 
to  preach  on  the  street?  We  have  our  churches  for  this  purpose.  You 
are  the  antichrist." 

Churchianity  not  Christianity 

Our  people  are  very  religious  and  build  many  large  churches.  They 
think  that  to  belong  to  a  church  and  to  have  a  form  of  godliness  con- 
stitutes a  Christian.  I  called  one  day  on  a  family;  the  house  was 
very  dirty;  the  children  were  barefooted  and  in  rags.  The  man  said 
to  me:  "You  see  we  are  very  poor  and  neglected."  I  asked  if  he  was 
out  of  employment,  or  perhaps  they  had  sickness  in  the  house.  But 
he  explained  to  me  that  his  wife  was  a  drunkard  and  that  was  the 
reason  for  their  poverty.  I  felt  very  sorry  for  the  family  and  began 
to  comfort  them  the  best  I  knew  how.  In  the  meantime  the  man  said 
to  his  wife:  "Mother,  mother,  take  the  pail  and  a  bottle  and  bring  us 
some  beer  and  whiskey."     She  obeyed,  without  saying  a  word.     While 


110  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

she  was  gone  I  began  to  talk  to  him  something  like  this:  "You  com- 
plain about  your  wife  that  she  is  a  drunkard,  but  I  see  you  are  help- 
ing  her.  How  can  you  expect  that  she  will  stop  if  you  help  her?  Are 
you  not  sorry  for  her  and  for  your  poor  children?  When  they  grow 
up  will  they  bless  you,  or  will  they  curse  you?  Are  you  not  quarrelling 
and  fighting  when  you  get  drunk?"  "Oh,  yes,  we  do,"  he  said,  "and 
sometime  I  will  kill  her,  too;  I  have  told  her  many  times  that  I  will  do 
it;  and  if  they  hang  me  for  it,  all  right  let  them  do  it!"  Then  I  began 
to  plead  with  the  man  and  to  tell  him  that  the  worst  of  all  is  that  no 
drunkard  shall  inherit  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

"Do  you  think  I  am  a  heathen?"  said  the  man  indignantly,  and 
quickly  opened  the  door  to  the  other  room  and  showed  me  eight  large 
images  hanging  on  the  walls,  to  prove  to  me  that  he  was  a  Christian. 
When  I  did  not  agree  with  him,  he  showed  me  a  large  church  across 
the  street  which  cost  $250,000  and  he  helped  to  build  it,  and  belongs  to 
it.  I  did  not  agree  with  him  that  this  made  him  a  Christian.  Then 
he  showed  me  his  parochial  book  and  that  he  had  paid  all  his  dues; 
and  when  I  still  doubted  his  Christianity,  he  showed  me  a  large  cruci- 
fix for  which  he  had  paid  $5.00,  in  order  to  convince  me  that  he  was 
a  Christian. 

Poles  Have  Chiu-ch  Without  Bible 

Perhaps  some  one  in  the  audience  will  say,  "But  this  is  an  excep- 
tion." But,  my  friends,  this  is  not  an  exception,  but  rather  the  rule, 
and  my  co-workers  who  are  present  can  bear  me  out.  How  can  it  be 
otherwise?  Imagine,  if  you  can,  Christianity  without  the  Bible!  For- 
get all  you  have  learned  from  the  Bible,  and  then  imagine  you  are 
a  Christian.  Yes,  we  have  to  deal  with  "Christians,"  who  are  "hold- 
ing a  form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof." 

When  I  came  to  this  country  thirty-one  years  ago,  it  was  difficult 
to  find  a  Bible  among  my  people;  but  now  many  are  supplied  with  the 
Bible,  a  Testament,  or  at  least  a  portion  of  the  Scriptures.  I  do  not 
know  of  any  other  agency  than  the  Chicago  Tract  Society,  under  whose 
auspices  I  have  been  working  for  over  seventeen  years,  that  has  ac- 
complished so  much.  We  go  from  house  to  house  and  supply  the 
people  with  Christian  literature,  and  have  personal  conversations 
with  them,  and  in  most  cases  read  to  them  from  the  Bible.  We  go  to 
every  place  of  business  and  visit  even  the  saloons,  and  oh,  how  many 
Bibles  we  have  sold  in  the  saloons!  We  hold  informal  meetings  wher- 
ever we  can,  in  the  little  kitchen,  in  a  front  room  or  in  a  back-yard, 
and  sometimes  in  halls  large  and  small,  or  at  the  noon  hour  in  the 
factories.  But  the  most  interesting  meetings  we  hold  in  the  open-air 
on  the  street  corners  in  different  parts  of  the  city  and  suburbs.  Thus 
we  reach  sometimes  five  hundred  or  even  a  thousand  or  more.     They 


A  Symposium  111 

listen  very  eagerly  and  often  thank  us  for  coming,  and  urge  us  to 
come  again.  We  distribute  literature  at  the  open-air  meetings,  which 
is  thankfully  received.  Most  of  these  people  could  not  be  reached  in 
any  other  way.  One  of  my  listeners  recently  pulled  out  a  Testament 
from  his  pocket,  and  said  to  me:  "Here  I  learned  the  Gospel  for  the 
first  time  and  now  I  belong  to  a  mission.  This  book  is  my  greatest 
treasure." 

THE  POLES 

By  REV.  PAUL  KOZIELEK,  of  Detroit 

I  feel  deeply  grateful  for  the  opportunity  of  being  at  this  First 
General  Conference  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia,  because  the 
larger  part  of  the  Polish  population,  which  in  a  way  I  represent, 
is  found  in  the  Russian  country,  that  we  desire  to  evangelize.  You 
have  heard  an  appeal  on  behalf  of  the  Russians,  and  on  behalf  of  the 
six  million  Jews  in  Russia.  My  friends,  I  come  pleading  for  more 
than  fifteen  million  Poles  in  Russia. 

The  Niobe  of  Nations 

Poland  is  the  Niobe  of  nations  today.  You  remember,  the  Greeks 
had  a  story  of  Niobe,  a  mother  of  fourteen  children  of  whom  she  was 
very  proud.  She  offended  the  gods,  and  so  all  her  children  perished; 
and  the  mother  of  sorrow  turned  into  a  stone  from  grief.  In  Rome 
there  is  to  be  found  a  piece  of  old  sculpture,  representing  Niobe  and 
her  children.  The  story  of  the  suffering  of  the  Polish  people  in  the 
present  war  and  the  heroism  of  the  Polish  soldiers  is  yet  to  be  told. 
About  two  million  Poles  of  military  age  were  drafted  into  the  three 
foreign  armies,  the  Russian,  the  German  and  the  Austrian,  and  lined 
up  on  the  opposite  sides,  brother  against  his  brother.  The  Poles 
realized  that  they  must  fight  for  their  own  independence,  so  they 
created  the  Polish  legions,  for  which  the  people  have  sacrificed  every- 
thing they  possessed.  Domestic  servants  gave  all  their  savings.  A 
blind  man  gave  his  instrument,  a  violin,  by  which  he  was  making  his 
daily  bread.  Gold  rings  poured  into  the  treasury,  and  soon  no  mar- 
ried couples  were  wearing  this  emblem  of  wedlock.  It  was  considered 
a  shame  not  to  have  offered  these  rings  to  the  military  treasury.  The 
ladies  of  the  higher  classes  spent  whole  nights  sewing  underwear 
for  the  soldiers.  One  thought  was  uppermost  in  all, — the  equipment 
of  the  Polish  army. 

"The  Polish  question  is  the  key  to  the  European  vault,"  said  Na- 
poleon. Upon  its  proper  solution  the  future  peace  of  central  Europe 
will  largely  depend.     President  Wilson  in  that  memorable  address  of 


112  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

January  22,  1917,  said:     "Statesmen  now  agree  everywhere,  that  there 
should  be  a  united  independent  and  autonomous  Poland." 

The  Poles  whether  they  are  in  Europe  or  here  in  America  need  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  may  interest  you  to  know 
that  not  all  of  them  are  Roman  Catholics.  About  eighteen  years  ago  I 
came  to  America  from  a  Polish  Protestant  church  in  Austrian  Silesia, 
in  connection  with  which  I  had  four  mission  stations.  That  church 
was  built  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago.  It  has  seventeen  thou- 
sand people,  and  a  seating  capacity,  for  about  eight  thousand.  Large 
numbers  of  Polish  Protestants  are  also  in  Russia  and  Germany. 

Experience  at  Detroit 

In  Detroit  we  have  over  a  hundred  thousand  Poles,  from  whom  we 
have  gathered  the  First  Polish  Protestant  Church  in  America.  It  is 
a  slow  and  difficult  work,  yet  God  has  blessed  us  richly  in  bringing 
many  to  Christ.  What  has  been  done  to  evangelize  the  Poles  is  due 
largely  to  the  efforts  of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society,  with  which  I  am 
glad  to  be  connected  and  whose  colporteurs  are  doing  splendid  work 
in  Detroit  and  neighboring  cities. 

We  had  a  meeting  on  the  west  side  not  so  very  long  ago,  and  we' 
were  not  disturbing  the  Roman  Catholics  at  all.  I  do  not  believe  in 
attacking  them,  but  I  believe  in  preaching  the  Gospel  to  them;  for 
we  know  that  we  have  the  Gospel  to  give  to  these  people  whether  they 
are  Roman  Catholics  or  not.  We  used  to  hold  meetings  among  large 
numbers,  and  we  preached  to  them  in  Polish.  But  one  time  a  zealous 
pastor  spread  a  pamphlet  which  attacked  the  priests  and  angered 
them,  though  we  were  not  responsible,  yet  they  took  about  two  hun- 
dred people  on  Sunday  and  brought  them  to  a  saloon  and  gave  them 
all  they  wanted  to  drink,  and  then  they  came  around  to  our  meeting 
and  disturbed  us.  When  the  meeting  was  over,  I  started  with  my 
assistant  to  go  home;  but  the  stones  began  to  fall,  and  you  could 
readily  see  that  I  was  going  to  have  difficulty  in  getting  home;  so 
some  friends  took  me  in  and  kept  me  prisoner  until  midnight,  when  I 
went  off  in  another  direction,  and  in  this  way  got  home.  The  priest 
who  led  the  mob  had  just  come  from  the  old  country  and  he  did  not 
know  that  in  America  the  people  have  freedom  to  worship  God  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences.  The  case  would  have 
been  brought  to  court  had  not  the  bishop  promised  that  this  thing 
should  never  happen  again.  The  religious  cottage  meetings  con- 
tinued and  large  numbers  of  Poles  came  to  hear  the  Gospel  preached. 
Eight  of  our  boys  are  already  in  the  service  of  the  government,  and 
fifteen  have  joined  the  Polish  Army;  some  of  them  are  in  France  and 
some  are  still  in  training.  I  had  a  letter  the  other  day  from  one  of  our 
boys  in  France.     He  sent  me  ten  dollars,  so  that  I  could  get  him  a 


A  Symposium  113 

Bible  to  carry  in  his  pocket.  He  said:  "I  had  a  Bible,  but  I  lost  it, 
and  now  I  feel  lost  without  it.  You  give  this  money  to  the  church 
treasurer,  but  send  me  a  Bible."  I  shall  have  difficulty  in  sending  it 
to  him,  because  he  did  not  send  a  request  from  a  superior  officer  that 
this  Bible  might  be  sent  to  him.  I  certainly  will  do  my  best  however 
to  get  that  Bible  through  to  him.  One  of  the  most  exemplary  young 
men  in  my  church,  a  high-school  student,  left  yesterday  for  the  army. 
I  never  met  a  young  man  who  craved  education  as  this  boy  did;  yet, 
though  not  a  citizen,  he  waived  his  rights  so  that  he  might  serve  our 
government. 

A   Great   Hindrance 

Now  what  hinders  our  work  here  in  America  is  denominationalism. 
The  Pole  doesn't  know  much  about  our  divisions  and  so  he  doesn't 
want  to  go  to  any  of  our  churches  because  he  knows  that  we  are  all 
so  divided.  There  was  a  Pole,  a  member  of  a  Polish  Presbyterian 
Church;  and  another  Pole  speaking  about  him,  said:  "He  is  not  a 
Pole.  He  is  a  Presbyterian."  Now  let  us  not  make  a  mistake,  but 
let  us  build  among  these  people  one  big  Protestant  Christ-centered 
church.  And  let  us  not  make  a  mistake  with  reference  to  the 
parochial  schools.  In  Michigan  we  are  just  starting  a  civic  league 
that  is  trying  to  get  the  Polish  boys  and  girls  into  the  public  schools. 
We  are  finding  out  that  they  are  better  educated  and  better  prepared 
for  life  in  the  public  schools.  Let  me  tell  you  what  the  Catholic 
Church  is  saying  about  our  public  school  system.  They  say  it  is  an 
imperfect  and  vicious  system  of  education,  which  undermines  the  re- 
ligion of  the  young,  etc.  But  we  are  sending  our  Polish  children  to 
the  public  schools,  and  we  want  them  to  be  able  to  read  the  Gospel. 
There  are  over  twenty  Polish  Protestant  churches  in  America.  We 
have  six  preparatory  schools  for  men  and,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able 
to  learn,  we  have  four  preparatory  schools  for  women.  We  have  three 
Christian  papers  and  one  is  promoted  by  the  Chicago  Tract  Society, 
The  Words  of  Life,  which  is  circulated  widely.  It  contains  the  words 
of  life,  and  these  are  what  we  want  our  people  to  get.  So  I  plead  to- 
day for  these  Polish  people  in  this  country.  And  God  bless  you. 
Christian  brothers,  Russians  and  all  others,  as  you  go  out  to  Russia, 
many  of  you,  to  preach!  But  don't  forget  our  Polish  people  and  their 
need  of  the  Gospel. 

THE  BULGARIANS 

By  ANDREW  TODOROFF  of  Chicago 

I  am  very  glad  to  say  something  about  the  Bulgarians.     They  and 
the   Russians   have   many  things    in   common.      Politically,   Bulgaria 


114  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

owes  her  freedom  to  Russia.  Both  countries  have  practically  the 
same  religion.  The  Eastern  Orthodox  Church  is  the  church  of  both.  We 
have  the  same  Cyrillic  alphabet;  and  I  may  say  that  we  do  not  have 
any  trouble  in  understanding  each  other.  We  can  even  talk  without 
an  interpreter.  Russian  literature  predominates  in  Bulgaria  and 
exerts  a  good  influence.  So  you  see  the  Bulgarians  are  naturally 
greatly  interested  in  everything  that  takes  place  in  Russia,  and  espe- 
cially in  a  cause  like  the  one  for  which  we  are  gathered  here.  The 
Bulgarian  people  believe  in  evangelization.  The  Bulgarian  nation  wel- 
comes Protestant  Christian  missionaries,  allowing  them  the  utmost 
freedom  in  preaching  the  Gospel.  Bulgaria  is  the  only  nation  of  the 
Balkan  Peninsula  where  we  can  find  American  schools;  and  I  am 
happy  to  say  that  Bulgaria,  my  native  country,  owes  a  great  deal  to 
the  missionaries  from  America,  my  adopted  country,  for  all  that  those 
godly  men  and  women  have  been  doing  toward  the  evangelization  of 
the  Bulgarian  people.  My  parents  were  among  the  very  first  ones 
converted  through  the  work  of  the  first  American  missionaries  sent 
to  Bulgaria.  So,  as  you  can  see,  Bulgaria,  on  the  one  hand,  is  at- 
tached to  Russia;  and,  on  the  other,  to  America. 

The  Latest  of  Immigrants 

But  I  am  on  the  program  to  tell  you  briefly  what  has  been  done 
in  this  country  thus  far  for  the  Bulgarians,  in  the  way  of  giving  them 
the  Gospel.  Preaching  among  the  Bulgarians  in  America  is  one  of 
the  latest  missionary  enterprises,  because  the  Bulgarian  immigrants 
were  among  the  last  to  come  over.  Fifteen  years  ago  it  was  practically 
impossible  to  find  a  Bulgarian  laborer  in  the  United  States.  At  that 
time  there  were  only  a  few  students  scattered  through  the  various 
colleges.  Our  family  was  the  first  Bulgarian  family  to  settle  here 
in  Chicago.  That  was  only  fourteen  years  ago.  The  Bulgarian  immi- 
grants started  to  come  over  steadily  from  1906,  and  continued  until, 
now  they  number  here  between  thirty  and  forty  thousand,  and  are 
scattered  all  over  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Ninety-eight  per 
cent  of  them  are  men;  some  single;  others,  married,  having  left  their 
wives  in  the  old  country.  Many  of  them  were  beginning  to  bring 
their  families  over,  but  the  war  put  an  end  to  that. 

Bulgarian  Missions  in  America 

At  present  Protestant  work  among  them  is  being  carried  on  in  the 
following  places:  At  Kansas  City,  Kans.;  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Toronto, 
Canada;  Ellis  Island,  N.  Y.;  Granite  City  and  Madison,  111.;  Toledo, 
Ohio;  and  in  Chicago.  The  work  here  is  carried  on  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society.     I  have  learned  that  good  work  is  done 


A  Symposium  115 

among  the  Bulgarians  at  all  the  places  I  have  mentioned.  Here  we 
have  a  Bulgarian  mission  reading  room  at  818  West  Adams  Street, 
near  Halsted.  This  is  at  present  the  only  religious  work  carried  on 
among  the  Bulgarians  in  Chicago.  Our  work  is  not  only  strictly  un- 
denominational, but  it  is  also  interdenominational.  I  am  a  Methodist, 
but  I  never  preach  Methodism  to  our  people.  My  co-workers  who 
visit  the  Bulgarian  colonies  in  all  these  great  states  and  Canada  be- 
long to  different  denominations,  but  we  never  discuss  between  our- 
selves our  denominations.  We  only  try,  with  God's  help,  to  preach 
and  to  spread  the  pure  Gospel  among  our  people.  For  the  present  our 
Chicago  meetings  are  held  in  the  reading  room  every  Sunday  after- 
noon, from  two  to  four  o'clock.  Two  different  meetings  are  held.  The 
first  is  strictly  religious.  Three  or  four  Gospel  hymns  are  sung, 
prayer  is  offered,  the  Scriptures  read  and  a  sermon  is  preached.  The 
second  meeting  is  educational.  We  give  lectures  on  temperance,  good 
morals,  good  citizenship,  how  to  keep  well,  and  give  our  men  useful 
information  on  various  subjects  of  special  value  to  them.  Our  Bul- 
garian Daily  Herald  has  opened  its  columns  for  articles  on  religious 
and  moral  subjects.  This  paper  has  a  daily  circulation  of  over  eight 
thousand  and  is  the  most  widely  circulated  Bulgarian  paper  in 
America.  I  have  written  for  this  paper  for  the  last  two  years  nearly 
two  hundred  articles,  many  of  which  have  been  printed  on  the  first 
page.  We  are  certainly  very  grateful  to  God  for  all  that  we  have  been 
able  to  accomplish  thus  far,  but  we  feel  that  there  is  great  need  for 
more  laborers  and  for  a  greater  support  of  this  work. 

When  I  think,  dear  friends,  of  the  object  for  which  we  are  gathered 
in  this  conference,  the  evangelization  of  Russia;  it  seems  such  a  great 
matter  that,  were  it  merely  our  work,  I  would  say:  "The  task  is 
altogether  too  great  for  us  to  undertake."  But  we  know  that  the 
work  we  are  undertaking  is  God's  work,  and  it  is  His  will  that  it  be 
done;  therefore  we  can  go  forward  fully  believing  that,  with  His 
help,  we  shall  succeed  in  advancing  His  kingdom  in  that  great 
country.     May  God  help  us! 

THE  BOHEMIANS 
By  REV.  V.  HLAVATY  of  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa 

The  Bohemians  are  a  part  of  the  Slav  family.  There  are  about  one 
hundred  fifty  million  Slavs  in  Europe.  It  is  the  most  numerous  race 
in  that  part  of  the  world.  They  are  divided  into  several  different 
groups.  The  Russians  are  over  one  hundred  million;  the  Poles,  about 
twenty  million;  the  Czechoslovaks,  ten  million;  the  Slovenes,  two 
million;  the  Bulgarians,  six  million;  the  Servians  and  Croatians, 
eight  million;  and  then  there  are  some  smaller  groups  of  several  hun- 


116  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

dred  thousand.  Religiously  they  are  also  divided.  The  Russians  and 
Bulgarians  being  Greek  Catholics;  while  the  Poles,  Bohemians  and 
Slovenes  are  Roman  Catholics.  There  are  some  two  and  a  half  per 
cent  Protestants  among  the  Bohemians  and  about  twenty-three  per 
cent  Protestants  among  the  Slovaks. 

Being  located  between  western  Europe  and  Asia  these  Slavs  in  early 
history  for  centuries  were  attacked  on  the  east  by  wild  tribes  of 
Huns,  Mongols  and  Tartars,  and  on  the  south  by  Turks.  Russia  and 
the  southern  Slavs  were  subjugated  by  Mongols  and  Turks  for  cen- 
turies. Even  "civilized"  Germany  took  part  whenever  opportunity 
offered  itself  in  oppressing  these  peoples.  They  did  not  perish,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  developed  under  great  diffculties  into  an  immense 
family,  with  great  literature,  educational  institutions,  deep  religious 
feeling,  love  for  freedom  and,  in  many  cases,  self-government.  These 
Slavs  have  saved  western  Europe  many  times  from  the  barbarians, 
when  they  themselves  had  to  endure  great  suffering.  It  is  natural 
that  some  of  them  have  not  had  the  opportunity  of  civilization,  as  the 
western  people  have. 

Influence  of  Hus  and  Comenius 

Bohemia  is  the  most  progressive  and  most  civilized  of  all  the  Slavic 
countries.  It  was  Bohemia  that  gave  to  the  world  the  first  reformer 
in  the  person  of  John  Hus,  who  died  as  martyr  to  the  truth  five  hun 
dred  years  ago.  Bohemia  was  the  cradle  of  those  noble  Christians 
the  Bohemian  and  Moravian  Brethren  with  their  last  bishop  and  edu 
cator,  John  Amos  Comenius. 

After  John  Hus,  Bohemia  was  Protestant  for  two  hundred  years: 
but  being  ruled  by  the  Hapsburg  Roman  Catholic  Emperors,  she  was 
oppressed  and  finally  robbed  of  her  freedom  in  1620.  From  that  time 
she  was  regarded  only  as  a  province  of  the  Empire  of  Austria,  always 
striving  to  regain  the  rights  unduly  taken  from  her;  until  today 
Bohemia  stands  in  an  open  revolt  against  her  tyrants  and  on  the  side 
of  the  Allies;  and  you  may  read  in  the  papers  nearly  every  day  about 
the  Czechoslovak  Army  in  Russia,  Italy  and  France,  organized  and 
fighting  against  the  common  enemy. 

Bohemian    Immigration 

Bohemians  began  to  come  to  America  before  the  Civil  War,  before 
the  sixties.  Within  the  past  thirty-five  years,  their  immigration  has 
been  rapid.  Between  the  years  1900  and  1910  over  two  million  Slavs 
came  to  this  country  from  various  sources,  and  there  are  in  the 
United  States  between  five  and  six  million  Slavs  with  their  descend- 
ants; more  than  five  hundred  thousand  of  these  are  Bohemians,  and 


A  Symposium  117 

about  the  same  number  are  Slovaks,  so  that  about  one-tenth  of  the 
Czechoslovaks  now  live  in  the  United  States. 

Bohemian  Protestants 

I  would  like  to  say  something  about  the  history  of  Bohemian 
Protestantism  in  this  country.  The  first  church  in  the  United  States 
was  founded  in  Texas,  in  1855,  at  Fayetteville.  It  was  a  group  of 
several  Bohemian  Protestant  farmers  who  gathered  around  their  pas- 
tor. Rev.  Zvolanek.  In  Iowa,  near  one  of  the  smaller  towns,  in  1860, 
a  few  farmers  gathered  together  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  Kun. 
In  1864-65  we  find  a  couple  of  small  Bohemian  churches  organized  in 
Wisconsin.  These  and  some  other  beginnings  of  Protestant  life  orig- 
inated among  the  Bohemians  themselves.  The  American  people  did 
not  take  any  interest  in  Bohemian  Christians  at  that  period;  but  the 
time  came  when  American  Christians  began  to  take  interest  in  the 
Bohemian  people.  In  1875  there  lived  in  New  York  a  Hungarian,  Rev. 
Alexy,  full  of  missionary  spirit  and  enthusiasm.  Before  he  came  to 
New  York  he  was  a  missionary  in  Spain  for  about  two  years.  When 
he  arrived  in  New  York  he  saw  the  Bohemians  living  like  sheep  with- 
out a  shepherd,  and  he  said  to  himself  and  to  other  people:  "The 
whole  world  is  greatly  indebted  to  Bohemia,  and  to  the  Bohemians 
for  their  courage  in  the  past,  for  their  sufferings  and  for  their  strug- 
gles for  truth  and  freedom."  This  godly  man  took  upon  his  heart 
to  help  these  people.  He  didn't  know  their  language  and  so  he  spoke 
in  German  and  Hungarian.  In  his  first  meeting  he  read  the  Bo- 
hemian decalogue  and  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  then  preached  in  Ger- 
man, but  they  didn't  understand;  so  he  began  to  study  Bohemian  and 
some  one  in  the  congregation  loaned  him  some  printed  sermons,  which 
he  read  from  the  pulpit.  In  the  meantime  he  acquired  the  language 
and  became  their  pastor  and  so  continued  until  his  death  in  1880,  when 
the  Rev.  V.  Pisek  succeeded  him. 

Many  Protestant  Churches 

After  the  year  1880  the  Americans  began  to  be  still  more  interested 
in  the  Bohemian  people  in  this  country  and  many  denominations 
started  misions.  For  example,  the  Congregational  Churches  began  in 
1883,  under  the  leadership  of  the  late  Dr.  Henry  A.  Schauffler  in 
Cleveland,  and  then  in  1884  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Edwin  A. 
Adams,  in  Chicago.  The  Methodists  started  work  among  our  people 
in  1884,  and  the  Baptists  in  1888.  The  Presbyterian  Church  began 
taking  a  deeper  interest  in  the  Bohemians  about  1889,  in  which  year 
many  churches  were  started,  in  the  Central  States.  There  are  at 
present  in  the  United  States  one  hundred  fifty  Bohemian  ministers 


ns  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

and  missionaries  doing  work,  and  nearly  two  hundred  Protestant 
churches  and  mission  stations,  the  Bohemian  membership  in  the  dif- 
ferent denominations  being  over  ten  thousand.  Some  congregations 
are  still  dependent  on  the  help  of  American  churches. 

The  Bible  societies  are  a  great  factor  in  helping  the  Bohemians  in 
printing  their  Bibles  and  portions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  the  tract 
societies  deserve  all  praise  and  thanks  for  publishing  books  and 
tracts  in  Bohemian  and  sending  colporteurs  to  people  who  otherwise 
could  not  be  reached. 

.    The  Bohemians  in  Russia 

The  Bohemians  are  everywhere  in  the  world,  so  they  must  be  also 
in  Russia.  There  is  a  colony  of  them  in  Australia,  another  in  New 
Zealand  and  still  another  in  Hawaii.  The  number  of  Bohemian  colon- 
ists in  Russia  is  about  sixty  thousand.  They  settled  there  seventy 
years  ago.  They  have  some  Protestant  churches  and  a  few  ministers. 
There  are  also  over  two  hundred  thousand  Bohemian  prisoners  of  war 
in  Russia,  who  are  now  free  and  fighting  for  the  liberties  of  the 
world.  Both  classes  need  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  May  God  help 
our  people  in  Bohemia,  Moravia,  Slovakia,  America,  Russia  and  every- 
where; and  may  God  bless  the  American  people  for  their  help  and 
love  towards  these  and  other  people;  and  may  the  salvation  of  Christ 
become  the  possession  of  all  the  people  throughout  the  world! 

THE  GREEKS 
By  REV.  C.  T.  PAPADOPOULOS  of  Chicago 

Before  I  start  to  tell  what  we  have  done  for  the  Greeks,  it  is 
important  to  consider  the  question:  "Why  should  we  help  the 
Greeks?"  First  of  all,  it  is  our  Christian  duty,  or  rather  our  Chris- 
tian privilege,  to  help  others  to  come  to  Christ.  It  is  a  great  privilege 
to  teach  them  the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth  all  knowledge.  Christ 
says:  "I  have  chosen  you,  and  ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go  and 
bring  forth  fruit."  "Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations  ...  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 

As  long  as  we  are  the  children  of  God  we  cannot  but  help.  Paul  says: 
"The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us;  because  we  thus  judge,  that  if 
one  died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead;  .  .  .  that  they  which  live 
should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves;  but  unto  Him  which 
died  for  them."  In  other  words,  no  real  Christian  can  stand  idle  seeing 
the  millions  dying  in  sin  and  under  the  yoke  of  the  devil. 


A  Symposium  119 

Our  Debt  to   the  Greeks 

This  is  general  and  true  for  all  nations,  but  when  we  come  to  the 
Greeks,  it  is  not  only  our  duty  and  privilege  to  help  them,  but  we 
are  debtors  to  them.  Paul,  who  was  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles, 
in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  particularly  emphasizes  the  fact  that 
he  feels  himself  a  debtor  to  the  Greeks.  If  he  was  debtor  to  the 
Greeks,  then  the  whole  Christian  world  is  debtor  to  them. 

We  all  know  what  "debtor"  means.  Therefore,  if  it  is  our  duty  to 
evangelize  the  Russian,  the  Italian,  the  Pole,  the  Bulgarian  and  the 
Turk,  and  to  help  save  the  Greeks  from  the  terrible  bondage  of  the 
Turk,  and  to  help  them  get  their  rights,  above  all  we  are  debtors 
for  their  evangelization.  But  why  are  we  debtors?  What  have  we 
received  from  them?  What  have  they  given  us?  All  who  have  studied 
history  know  what  the  Greeks  have  done.  If  any  one  wishes  to  find 
out  what  the  Greeks  gave  the  world,  let  him  go  to  any  library  of 
any  nation  or  language  where  he  will  find  thousands  of  volumes  bear- 
ing witness  to  what  this  nation  has  given  the  world  of  philosophy, 
science,  art,  freedom,  etc.  The  Greeks  were  always  generous.  They 
never  kept  their  knowledge  a  secret  for  themselves,  nor  did  they 
wait  that  others  might  come  and  receive  it;  but  they  traveled  and 
endured  hardships  that  the  light  might  help  others.  The  Greeks 
loved  freedom.  They  were  the  first  to  teach  democracy  to  the  world. 
They  fought  alone  against  the  Barbarians  that  they  might  protect 
their  freedom  and  that  they  might  keep  Europe  from  invasion.  When 
the  Barbarians,  like  the  Huns  of  today,  brought  their  armies  to 
invade  Europe,  the  Greeks  stood  their  ground  and  fought  their  battles 
and  saved  Europe,  just  as  our  army,  together  with  our  Allies,  will 
do  today,  to  save  the  entire  world  from  the  menacing  tyranny  of 
German  militarism.  As  in  the  Apostolic  age  the  persecution  against 
Christians  spread  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  so  after  the  fall  of  Con- 
stantinople the  Greeks  scattered  throughout  Europe,  building  schools, 
teaching  language,  science  and  philosophy  and  spreading  Christianity. 

The  Greek  New  Testament 

I  quote  a  sentence  from  the  last  speech  of  Gladstone  in  the  House 
of  Commons:  "Let  us  help  save  the  remnant  of  the  Greek  nation, 
because  the  freedom  of  civilization  which  Europe  enjoys  today  is  the 
reflection  of  the  swords  of  their  fathers."  If  we  forget  what  they 
have  done  for  us,  history  will  never  forget.  The  Greek  nation  will 
always  stand  bright  on  her  pages.  The  greatest  thing  the  Greek 
nation  has  given  to  the  world  is  the  Book  of  books,  which  we  call  the 
New  Testament.  Turn  to  the  first  page  of  any  New  Testament  and 
there  you  will  read:     "Translated  from  the  original  Greek."     Today 


120  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

this  book  has  been  translated  through  the  Bible  societies  into  over 
four  hundred  and  fifty  different  languages.  This  is  the  book  which 
the  Greeks,  as  faithful  custodians,  kept  through  those  dark  ages  of 
persecution  and  barbarism.  Indeed,  this  is  the  greatest  gift  among 
the  nations,  to  build  up  the  foundation  of  true  freedom,  civilization 
and  prosperity.  This  little  book  is  the  one  which  stirred  up  the  world 
and  brought  true  freedom  and  civilization,  and  which  saves  the 
multitudes  from  their  sins  and  gives  comfort  to  sorrowing  souls.  No 
other  gift  has  accomplished  so  much  as  this. 

Is  not  this  enough  to  make  us  realize  that  we  are  debtors  to  the 
Greeks?  Is  not  this  enough  to  arouse  our  sympathy  toward  this  little 
nation  in  these  trying  times,  and  to  compel  us  to  help  with  all  our 
powers  to  evangelize  the  Greeks?  I  think  we  all  agree  in  saying: 
"Yes." 

The  Remnant  of  a  Great  Nation 

The  remnant  of  the  great  Hellenic  race  is  now  over  fourteen  million. 
Nearly  six  million  five  hundred  thousand  are  in  Greece  proper,  which 
is  a  free  state.  A  little  over  three  and  a  half  million  were  in  Asia 
Minor  when  I  left  that  country  eleven  years  ago;  but  how  many  are 
left  now  after  the  massacres  and  deportations,  no  one  can  tell. 
Letters  received  through  Russia  describe  the  great  massacres  of 
Greeks  in  many  places.  At  three  of  the  churches  where  I  spent  most 
of  my  precious  early  years,  all  the  members  were  massacred  or  died 
of  starvation  in  deportation. 

The  rest  of  the  Greeks  are  scattered  throughout  the  world;  four 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  are  in  the  United  States  and  thirty-five 
thousand  are  in  Chicago. 

If  we  look  in  the  mission  records  we  shall  see  that  nothing  has 
been  done  directly  for  this  nation  to  which  we  owe  so  much.  Outside 
the  state  of  Massachusetts,  where  the  Home  Missionary  Society  has 
two  centers,  at  Boston  and  Lowell,  no  other  society  or  church  is 
helping  the  Greeks  directly  here  or  abroad,  except  the  Chicago  Tract 
Society.  This  Greek  work  was  started  here  ten  years  ago  on  a  small 
scale.  Notwithstanding  the  persecution  of  some  fanatical  priests  and 
some  ignorant  people,  with  the  power  of  God,  the  work  has  grown 
larger  and  larger.  On  May  17,  1914,  the  "First  Greek  Protestant 
Church  of  Chicago"  was  organized. 

Evangelizing  American  Greeks 

This  work  has  three  different  parts  and  is  carried  on  very  syste- 
matically. The  first  part  is  spiritual.  We  have  the  organized  church, 
with  its  regular  Sunday  morning  and  afternon  services  and  prayer 


A  Symposium  121 

meetings,  a  very  small  Sunday-school  and  outside  work  which  extends 
into  other  states  where  our  members  have  gone  and  where  our  people 
are  located.    These  we  call  the  "light-carriers." 

The  second  part  is  literary.  On  account  of  the  constant  moving 
of  our  members,  we  try  to  reach  them  by  regular  correspondence 
with  enclosed  tracts.  Often,  in  a  year,  our  correspondence  is  from 
twenty-five  hundred  to  three  thousand  letters.  We  have  imported 
thousands  of  Bibles  and  New  Testaments  in  our  language,  and  over 
eighty  thousand  pieces  of  good  Christian  literature.  Besides,  we  have 
printed  in  our  own  printing  shop  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
tracts  and  an  eight-page  weekly  paper,  which,  in  the  past  three  years, 
has  had  a  circulation  of  over  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  thousand 
copies.  From  time  to  time  we  send  a  colporteur  to  other  states  and 
through  some  of  our  members  who  work  during  the  week  we  try, 
on  Sundays  here  in  the  city,  to  place  the  Bible  in  the  homes. 

A  Missionary  Home 

The  third  part  is  the  social  work.  Although  this  department  costs 
us  very  much,  and  means  great  sacrifice,  it  pays.  Our  home  is  the 
headquarters  of  our  entire  work.  We  call  it  home  because  we  live  in 
it.  In  reality  it  is  not  that.  It  is  an  office,  a  hospital,  an  employment 
agency,  and  a  home  for  the  many  poor  strangers  who  are  wandering 
without  money  or  work  or  shelter.  It  is  the  lawyer's  office  to  which 
the  people  come  with  their  difficulties.  It  is  the  home  for  the  un- 
fortunate woman,  and  very  often  the  free  lunch  counter.  It  is  also 
the  shop  where  we  publish  our  weekly  paper  and  all  our  Christian 
literature.  It  is  indeed  the  real  spiritual  school  where  many  may 
learn  the  first  lessons  of  the  love  of  God  and  the  way  of  salvation. 

Since  the  declaration  of  war  it  is  also  the  home  of  the  sailor  and 
soldier,  who  are  on  furlough  and  have  no  home  of  their  own.  Every 
day  the  doors  are  open  from  early  morning  until  midnight.  We  have 
received  dozens  of  letters  from  young  boys  who  formerly  lived  in 
Chicago  and  are  now  in  other  states  or  in  the  army,  expressing  their 
gratitude  and  appreciation  for  the  hospitality  and  love  which  was 
shown  them.  Many  in  their  letters  have  said:  "Although  we  find 
many  churches  to  attend  on  Sunday,  we  have  never  been  able  to  find 
a  home  like  yours  where  we  can  go." 

This  is  the  only  place,  and  only  center,  from  which  we  try  to  reach 
the  fifteen  million  remnant  of  the  great  Hellenic  race  here  in  the 
United  States  and  abroad.  The  work  is  growing  rapidly  and  the  need 
is  increasing.  There  will  be  new  openings  as  soon  as  the  war  is  over; 
and  we  must  protect  the  thousands  from  infidelity  and  comfort  the 
millions  who  have  lost  their  homes  and  loved  ones.  "For  whosoever 
shall   call   upon   the  name   of  the  Lord   shall   be   saved.     How   then 


122  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

shall  they  call  on  Him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed?  and  how  shall 
they  believe  in  Him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard?  and  how  shall  they 
hear  without  a  preacher?  And  how  shall  they  preach,  except  they  be 
sent?"    May  the  Lord  help  us  to  do  our  part  with  all  our  heart!    Amen. 

THE  ARMENIANS 
By  REV.  M.  M.  AIJIAN  of  Detroit 

This  afternoon  I  was  calling  at  the  oflfice  of  a  man  down-town, 
and  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  how  to  spell  the  name  Armenian. 
He  said  he  certainly  did,  because  he  saw  so  much  of  it  lately  in 
the  papers.  A  few  years  ago,  in  Detroit,  I  was  talking  with  the 
principal  of  one  of  the  public  schools,  and  when  he  knew  that  I  was 
an  Armenian,  he  said:  "Where  is  Armenia?"  And  then  he  began  to 
answer  his  own  question  in  this  way:  "Is  it  somewhere  in  the  Balkan 
States?"  I  was  ashamed  to  have  to  say  that  it  was  not,  and  I  tried 
to  draw  a  map  of  Asia  Minor  and  tell  him  where  Armenia  was;  but 
today  almost  every  reader  of  the  daily  papers  knows  where  Armenia 
is.  It  is  that  northeastern  portion  of  Asia  Minor  just  south  of 
Caucasus. 

First  to  Accept  Christianity 

The  Armenians  were  the  first  people  in  the  world  who  accepted 
Christianity  as  their  national  religion;  and  the  Armenian  alphabet 
was  invented  for  the  special  and  definite  purpose  of  translating  the 
Bible  into  their  language.  And  our  nation,  even  more  than  the  Jews, 
can  be  spoken  of  as  the  nation  which  has  been  baptized  with  blood 
and  with  fire.  The  Jews  have  been  persecuted  for  the  last  twenty 
centuries  because  they  rejected  Christ  and  crucified  Him  on  Calvary. 
The  Armenians,  on  the  other  hand,  have  suffered  for  the  last  eighteen 
centuries,  because  they  accepted  that  crucified  Christ  as  the  Redeemer 
of  the  world.  All  the  Armenians  are  by  no  means  thoroughly  con- 
verted; nevertheless  as  a  nation  when  the  test  has  come  we  have, 
through  the  grace  of  God,  stood  the  trial  and  proved  that  we  would 
even  shed  our  last  drop  of  blood  rather  than  turn  our  back  on  the 
name  of  Christ  Jesus. 

The  Mohammedans  are  the  Unitarians  of  the  East.  The  Moham- 
medan believes  that  Christ  was  the  best  man  in  the  world,  and 
moreover,  that  He  was  the  Spirit  of  God,  so  that  He  could  not  be 
crucified;  and  when  the  time  came  that  the  Jews  wanted  to  crucify 
Christ,  He  ascended  to  heaven  and  they  got  hold  of  a  Jew  who 
looked  very  much  like  Jesus  and  crucified  him.  Moreover,  they  be- 
lieve that  Christ  is  coming  back  to  this  earth  to  be  the  final  judge 


A  Symposium  123 

of  the  world;  and  then  they  lift  up  their  hands  and  say:  "There  is 
but  one  God  and  Mohammed  is  His  prophet."  I  have  often  been 
asked  why  the  Armenians  are  treated  as  they  are  now.  I  know  only 
one  reason,  and  that  is  because  we  believe  Christ  to  be  the  Son  of 
God,  and  we  will  not  be  converted  into  Mohammedan  Unitarianism, 

Some  years  ago  in  the  City  of  New  York  there  was  a  Christmas 
entertainment  in  our  school.  There  were  some  eighteen  different 
nationalities  represented  in  that  school,  and  every  one  marched  into 
the  entertainment  room  with  his  flag.  I  didn't  have  a  flag  to  carry. 
I  had  my  Bible  on  my  breast,  and  when  it  was  my  turn  to  say  a  few 
words,  I  said:  "Friends,  I  have  no  flag  that  I  can  call  my  flag.  This 
is  my  flag,  and  for  the  sake  of  this  flag,  for  the  sake  of  this  Bible, 
my  ancestors  have  lost  everything,  and  have  suffered  every  hardship; 
they  lost  their  goods,  lost  their  homes,  lost  their  property,  lost  their 
all;  and  then  they  began  to  go  toward  the  mountains  and  tried  to 
build  new  cities  and  to  found  a  new  Armenia  so  that  they  might 
preserve  the  free  worship  of  God  and  keep  the  New  Testament."  And 
then  I  said:  "Thank  God  that  I  had  ancestors  like  that,  who  were 
willing  even  to  lose  their  flag  that  they  might  keep  the  Bible,  because 
if  they  had  not  done  that  I  would  have  had  no  chance  to  be  con- 
verted and  to  know  Jesus   Christ  as  my  Lord  and  my  Redeemer!" 

A   Nation   Suffering  and    Starving 

That  is  the  Armenian  nation,  and  that  has  been  our  history  for  the 
last  seventeen  centuries.  During  the  last  twenty  years  I  have  seen 
three  Armenian  massacres.  One  of  them  was  twenty  years  ago,  in 
the  northern  part  of  Asia  Minor,  when  about  three  hundred  thousand 
Armenians  were  destroyed  in  six  months.  The  second  was  about  nine 
years  ago,  in  the  southern  part  of  Asia  Minor,  when  some  thirty 
thousand  Armenians  were  destroyed  in  about  three  days.  The  third 
is  this  one:  the  missionaries  who  have  returned  to  this  country  from 
Armenia  say  that  four  hundred  thousand  boys  and  girls  have  been 
sold  into  Mohammedan  homes,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
Armenians  have  starved  to  death,  and  their  bones  are  scattered  all 
over  the  deserts.  The  other  day  a  missionary  from  Asia  Minor  was 
speaking  in  a  meeting  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  he  took  out  a  piece  of 
a  skull  from  his  pocket  and  said:  "This  is  from  the  skull  of  an 
Armenian  on  his  way  to  the  desert.  And  you  can  go  around  in  that 
country  everywhere  and  pick  up  the  skulls  and  bones  of  the  Armenians 
who  were  taken  from  their  homes  and  who  starved  to  death."  About 
a  hundred  thousand  of  us  have  found  refuge  in  this  country.  God 
bless  this  country,  and  God  keep  it  free!  The  United  States  of 
America  has  some  of  her  most  loyal  citizens  among  those  who  hardly 
can  speak  English,  because  they  know  what  it  is  to  be  under  persecu- 


124  What  Has  Been  Done  for  These  People 

tion,  and  they  know  how  to  appreciate  this  country  more  than  some 
of  you  who  were  born  here.  There  are  a  number  of  Armenian  Evan- 
gelical churches,  mostly  self-supporting.  Most  of  them  are  in  the  east, 
and  some  are  in  \:;alifornia.  For  the  thousands  of  Armenians  who  are 
scattered  throughout  the  Middle  West  there  is  very  little  evangelical 
work  done. 

Armenians  Need  Our  Help 

We  Armenians  have  come  to  you  as  a  people  suffering  for  the  name 
of  Christ;  and  we  have  some  things  that  we  can  teach  you.  We  can 
teach  you  how  to  pray  for  your  enemies.  We  have  done  that  for  the 
last  seventeen  centuries.  We  can  teach  you  to  suffer  and  glorify 
God  in  the  midst  of  your  suffering.  We  have  'done  that  the  last 
seventeen  centuries.  We  have  been  taught  that,  by  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  as  a  nation;  and  it  is  for  you  to  help  us  keep  the  faith  of 
our  fathers,  so  that  the  faith  that  was  kept  during  awful  persecutions 
may  not  be  lost  now  in  America  in  soulless  materialism.  The  faith 
of  Armenia  is  not  yet  dead.  I  would  rather  die  a  hundred  times, 
with  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  me,  than  go  under  the  condemnation  of 
the  devil;  wouldn't  you?  I  had  rather  die  with  Christ  than  live  the 
life  of  a  king.  "I  had  rather  be  a  door-keeper  in  the  house  of  my 
God"  than  to  be  a  prince  in  the  house  of  the  devil,  and  I  know  you 
all  say:  "Amen."  Then  let  us  stand  by  organizations  like  the  Chicago 
Tract  Society,  which  are  trying  to  help  Armenians  in  America  to 
preserve  their  faith,  through  publications  and  preaching  of  the  Word 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  coming  soon  to  put  an  end  to  all  this 
suffering,  misery  and  sin. 


A  GREAT  MISSIONARY  PROGRAM  FOR 
RUSSIA 

By  PASTOR  WILLIAM  FETLER 

MUCH  blessing  has  come  to  the  lands  across  the  sea  from  this 
country  in  the  years  gone  by.  One  of  the  blessings  which 
has  come  also  to  Russia  has  been  through  the  American 
hymnology,  the  hymns  which  have  arisen  in  revival  times  in  this 
country,  especially  in  those  days  of  1857-59,  when  the  great  revival 
was  in  England,  Ireland  and  Scotland,  and  also  in  this  country,  and 
when  the  noon-day  prayer  meetings  in  Fulton  street  were  crowded 
with  hundreds  of  earnest  seekers  for  salvation.  Many  of  those 
hymns  are  living  to  this  very  day.  The  other  day  I  asked  you,  friends, 
as  many  as  were  then  present,  to  sing  a  verse  of  one  of  the  hymns  which 
arose  in  those  days  and  was  translated  into  the  Russian  language 
and  is  being  sung  all  over  Russia  by  the  Christians.  I  do  want  to  sing 
this  hymn  with  you,  just  a  verse,  not  simply  because  the  hymn  has 
traveled  into  Russia,  but  because  of  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  hymn. 
I  believe  this  conference  on  behalf  of  Russia  has  been  founded  upon 
the  green  hill  outside  of  the  city  wall;  that  we  have  pitched  our  tents 
around  Calvary,  and  that  we  are  looking  at  the  great  sacrifice  of  the 
Son  of  God  as  He  left  everything,  gave  up  the  bosom  of  the  Father 
and  came  down  here  to  seek  the  poor  Americans,  the  poor  Japs  and 
the  poor  Russians,  in  order  to  bring  them  back,  with  pierced  hands 
and  with  a  head  crowned  with  thorns.  This  love  manifested  on 
Calvary  has  drawn  you  out  of  your  miry  pit,  out  of  your  former  sins, 
like  these  Russian  young  men  here.  (Most  of  them  have  been 
drunkards  before  they  became  candidates  for  missionary  work  in 
Russia;  they  are  no  more  drunk  with  wine,  but  are  now  being  filled 
with  the  Spirit,  which  is  much  better.)  I  believe  it  was  this  thought 
of  Calvary  which  inspired  somewhat  the  great  Russian  musician 
Tchaikowsky.  Many  of  you  who  know  music  know  something  about 
him. 

Spirituality  of  Russian  Music 

The  Russian  music  is  especially  interesting  to  me  because  of  the 
tremendously  deep  spirituality  in  it,  the  spiritual  note  underlying 
the  music.  The  Russian  people  had  been  for  four  centuries  under 
the  yoke  of  the  Czars,  and  then  in  those  four  long  centuries  the  Rus- 
sian people,  ignorant  of  the  true  salvation,  not  knowing  much  about 
God,  the  real  Father,  having  an  altar  built  up  unto  an  unknown  God, 

•  125 


J  26  A   Great  Missionary  Program  for  Russia 

yet  in  their  deep  need  they  tried  to  have  comfort  and  joy  just  as  in 
this  land.  That  altar  which  was  to  them  built  up  was  the  altar 
of  the  Greek  Church.  But  they  made  catacombs  where  they  would 
worship  God  and  sing,  and  their  singing  was  something  like  the 
hymns  of  the  colored  friends  in  the  South,  as  I  heard  about  eight 
years  ago  when  they  sang  down  at  a  big  congress  in  Philadelphia. 
They  told  us,  those  colored  folks,  as  they  were  being  enslaved  by 
white  people  in  the  name,  perhaps,  of  some  kind  of  Christianity— 
which,  praise  God,  we  don't  understand  any  more  in  this  twentieth 
century — how  those  slave  owners  used  to  put  cruel  men  as  over- 
seers over  the  negroes.  But  missionaries  came  and  they  told  the 
colored  folks  of  Jesus,  and  the  only  comfort  those  negroes  found  was 
in  Jesus'  name,  and  then  they  sang  on  those  plantations  and  all 
their  joy  was  in  that  singing.  Then  the  overseers  heard  them  sing 
about  Jesus.  They  understood  that  Jesus  meant  liberation,  Jesus 
meant  salvation,  Jesus  meant  abolition  of  slavery;  and  then  they 
forbade  their  singing  in  His  name  any  more!  And  when  they  were 
forbidden  to  sing  out  loud,  they  sang  in  a  hushed  voice,  so  that  only 
it  seemed  like  the  wind  blowing,  so  softly  they  sang,  when  they  would 
be  working  in  the  corn  fields  singing,  "Steal  Away,  Steal  Away  to 
Jesus."  And  so  the  Russian  people  in  those  centuries  of  slavery  found 
out  something  of  God,  unknown  perhaps  in  fullness,  and  yet  nothing 
touched  the  Russian  people  so  much  as  the  word  of  the  Cross. 

Origin  of  a  Great  Hymn 

Those  millions  of  Russian  people  need  Calvary's  Cross.  Now  this 
great  musician,  who  has  already  gone  to  his  reward,  sat  down  at  his 
instrument  and  composed  this  beautiful  hymn.  He  had  a  deep 
understanding  of  Calvary's  sacrifice,  and  the  words  of  that  hymn 
are  expressed  in  a  beautiful  Russian  legend.  This  legend  tells  about 
Jesus  when  He  was  a  little  boy  in  Nazareth;  how  that  Jesus  at  that 
early  age  had  a  beautiful  small  garden,  somewhere  near  the  home  of 
his  foster  father.  Every  day  the  little  Jesus  boy  would  come  and 
take  a  cruse  and  pour  water  on  the  rose  bushes,  until  from  those 
water  drops  and  the  smiling  rays  of  the  sunshine,  those  roses  began 
to  fill  the  air  with  beautiful  aroma.  One  day,  however,  a  crowd  of 
Hebrew  children  began  to  gather  at  the  gates  of  that  little  garden. 
They  came  in.  They  saw  those  roses,  and  they  went  down  and 
plucked  off  every  one  of  the  roses.  Then  somebody  came  up  to  the 
little  Jesus  boy  and  said:  "Don't  you  see  what  has  happened? 
Every  one  of  the  roses  has  been  plucked  off.  What  will  be  left  for 
you?"  And  little  Jesus  boy  looked  at  those  rose  bushes  and,  as  we 
can  understand  from  the  Scriptures,  for  He  grew  up  in  obedience  to 
his   parents  and   in   love  and   good   will   with  every  man,  He  looked 


» 


Pastor  William  Fetler  127 


there,  not  sorry  because  every  rose  had  gone,  because  'He  had  not 
had  His  share,  because  His  work  had  been  evidently  in  vain,  all  the 
watering  and  caring  for  them.  "What  is  left  for  me?"  He  said.  "Why, 
don't  you  see?  For  me  are  left  the  thorns."  And  then  they  went  and 
made  a  crown  of  thorns  for  Jesus  boy,  when  He  was  thirty-three  and 
a  half  years  old;  and  because  of  that  crown  of  thorns  we  shall  one 
day  have  a  crown  of  roses.  Now,  I  want  my  young  men  from  Phil- 
adelphia to  sing  that  great  composition.  I  am  sorry  they  cannot 
sing  it  as  well  as  I  would  like  them  to.  These  men,  most  of  them, 
could  not  differentiate  between  a  Chinese  character  and  a  musical  note 
when  they  came  to  our  school.  The  only  thing  they  knew,  many 
of  them,  was  to  drink  and  play  cards  and  smoke  tobacco,  and  gamble 
and  fight  each  other  and  live  in  sin. 

The  Russian  Choir 

My  friends,  the  page  has  been  dark,  but  no  page  is  so  dark  that  it 
cannot  be  made  whiter  than  snow  in  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Now  these  men  have  come  from  the  Russian  villages,  from 
those  peasant  villages,  have  had  no  schooling  till  they  came  here, 
and  so  they  will  not  sing  as  well  as  I  wish  they  would.  Not  one  of 
these  students  could  even  write  and  read  properly  the  Russian  lan- 
guage. I  do  not  think  five  of  them  could  distinguish  among  ten 
words  an  adjective  from  a  verb  or  a  noun.  Those  things  were  hidden 
from  them;  and  now  when  we  go  around  and  when  these  men  sing, 
it  is  not  so  much  the  voice,  it  is  the  heart.  When  I  went  back  to 
Russia  from  Spurgeon's  college  to  take  up  the  missionary  work,  and 
I  went  round  from  place  to  place  holding  meetings,  I  had  to  be  my 
own  Moody,  but  bless  your  heart,  I  didn't  know  what  I  should  do 
for  Sankey.  I  had  no  Sankey  with  me,  and  as  for  my  own  gift  in 
that  direction,  why  I  haven't  any.  My  musical  gift  was  so  great  in 
my  boyhood  that  my  music  teacher  used  to  comfort  me  with, 
"Fetler,  shut  up.  You  spoil  everybody  else's  singing."  It  was 
a  hard  thing  for  me  to  shut  up,  I  can  tell  you.  But  when  I  came 
to  Russia  to  evangelize  the  people,  and  held  large  meetings,  I  found 
the  people  looked  up  to  me,  and  said:  "We  want  to  hear  some 
singing."  And  so  I  looked  this  way  and  that  way,  but  I  didn't  see 
either  Sankey  or  Rodeheaver,  and  so  I  had  to  get  my  hymn  book 
and  do  some  of  it  myself.  Of  course,  I  always  had  to  make  a  little 
bit  of  an  introduction  before  I  sang  and  preached.  I  don't  know  if 
I  ever  really  preached  a  sermon  all  my  life.  My  preaching  has  been 
just  something  on  the  line  of  testimony,  just  telling  something  the 
Lord  has  done  for  me.  But  then  I  said  to  these  people,  "If  you  want 
me  to  sing  something,  I  will.  I  cannot  sing  like  a  nightingale,  but 
even  if  I  cannot  do  that,  I  can  sing  like  a  raven  anyhow."    I  have 


128  A  Great  Missimmry  Program  for  Russia 

found  that  a  Spirit-filled  raven  can  do  more  than  an  un-Spirit-filled 
nightingale.  It  is  not  what  we  can  do  by  brain  power,  but  in  the 
sincerity  of  our  hearts.  When  I  began  to  teach  these  men  to  sing, 
the  first  thing  I  told  them  was  not  the  proper  scale,  because  I  did  not 
know  it  myself,  but  I  think,  if  I  remember  correctly,  I  began  with 
this  instruction,  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God."  I  want  you  to  understand  and  to  pray  for  these  men  when  they 
go  back  to  Russia,  that  their  songs  may  resound  in  the  lives  of  many 
thousands.  Now  we  will  sing  this  hymn  about  Jesus  boy,  the  roses, 
the  Hebrew  children,  and  the  crown  of  thorns. 

Russia's   Missionary  Problem  j 

Now,  friends,  I  have  to  be  very  brief  at  this  time.  The  one  trouble 
I  find  in  this  country  is  that  you  begin  your  meetings  in  America 
by  the  same  hour  that  the  Russians  being  in  Russia,  but  you  don't 
finish  by  the  same  time.  In  our  meetings  the  proper  time  to  finish  is 
about  twelve  o'clock  at  night.  I  am  looking  in  this  country  to  find  a 
congregation  to  stay  till  midnight,  and  if  I  find  it,  I  will  consent 
perhaps  to  be  made  the  pastor  of  that  church.  But  now  I  have  to 
come  down  to  your  weakness,  and  therefore  I  will  limit  myself  for 
the  rest  of  this  time  speaking,  about  the  great  Russian  missionary 
program.  I  want  to  ask  of  you  that  this  evening  you  will  be  as 
patient  as  possible  until  we  get  through.  We  have  already  suggested 
that  tens  of  thousands  of  souls  might  come  to  Christ  as  the  result 
of  this  meeting.  I  said  that  with  full  confidence  that  that  really 
might  take  place,  for  the  sake  of  poor  bleeding  Russia,  for  the  sake 
of  thousands  of  men  and  women  in  that  country  that  have  passed 
sleepless  nights  watching  for  the  enemy  to  come.  Let  us  tarry 
around  this  great  Russian  missionary  problem  and  hear  and  see 
what  can  be  done  and  what  shall  be  done.  You  understand  great 
numbers  of  the  Russian  people  are  waiting  for  the  Gospel.  You  have 
heard  that  in  Russia  we  have  about  twice  as  many  people  as  in  this 
country;  yet  we  have  not  as  many  Gospel  preachers  in  the  whole  of 
Russia  as  you  have  in  the  city  of  Chicago  alone.  Also  in  the  whole 
of  Russia  at  this  present  time  there  is  not  a  single  Bible  training 
school  or  missionary  school  or  institute  where  men  and  women  can 
prepare  for  the  Lord's  work.  That  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  the  school 
has  been  established  in  Philadelphia;  and  I  believe  that  this  con- 
ference should  find  men  and  women  here  that  will  be  willing  to 
go  out  as  missionaries  to  Russia;  just  as  at  the  Moody  Bible  Insti- 
tute last  Monday,  when  we  spoke  to  them,  some  said,  "We  are  willing 
to  go  to  Russia."  Also  a  number  of  students  volunteered  in  Brother 
Simpson's  school  when  we  spoke  there.  We  were  greatly  touched 
by  the  interest  manifested  there  among  the  students.    There  was  a 


Pastor  William  Fetler  131 

Chinese  student  in  that  school.  After  we  went  away  from  Nyack 
after  having  talked  about  our  school,  and  had  gone  back  to  Philadel- 
phia, our  treasury  was  quite  empty  and  I  told  my  students  to  pray. 
A  couple  of  hours  later  I  received  a  letter  from  a  man  with  his  first 
name  American  and  the  second  Chinese.  So  I  thought,  "What  is 
that?"  The  first  name  Paul  and  the  last  Lin.  The  letter  was  written 
in  perfect  English.  I  read  the  letter  and  found  it  was  from  that 
Chinese  student — he  had  been  to  an  American  high-school  and  had 

got  educated  here and  he  is  going  to  prepare  to  go  back  to  China. 

In  that  letter  he  said,  "Brother  Fetler,  when  you  spoke  about  the 
millions  of  Russia,  when  you  spoke  of  the  great  missionary  problem 
for  Russia,  I  went  to  my  room  and  knelt  before  God;  and,  though 
I  am  only  a  poor  Chinese  boy,  I  can  sympathize  with  you,  for  I  have 
four  hundred  and  thirty  million  of  my  own  countrymen  whom  I  want 
to  evangelize;  but  now  at  this  time  I  am  thinking  how  to  help 
Russia."  And  then  he  says,  "I  have  saved  up  $350  and  now  I  am 
going  to  keep  $50  for  myself,  and  I  enclose  a  check  for  $300  for 
the  poor  Russians."  I  tell  you  if  my  heart  was  not  deeply  stirred 
before,  it  was  then.  Of  all  the  students  in  that  school  God  took  a 
Chinese  boy  to  understand  the  Russian  problem,  and  my  heart  was 
glad. 

The  First  Donations 

Just  before  we  came  into  this  meeting  about  thirty  business  men 
of  this  city  gathered  with  us  across  the  street  to  speak  about  Russia 
and  to  pray  about  Russia.  As  we  presented  this  matter  a  prominent 
business  man  got  up  and  said,  "I  have  been  thinking  of  this  work.  I 
have  been  praying  for  this  work,  and  it  has  come  to  my  mind  as  a 
good  spiritual  investment.  I'll  give  $1,000  to  it."  Another  man  there 
said  he  would  give  $1,000.    And  that  was  a  fine  beginning. 

Now,  what  do  we  say  about  Russia,  and  what  really  should  be  done 
at  this  present  time?  Let  me  make  two  or  three  very  simple  state- 
ments. First  of  all,  will  you  please  understand  that  the  work  can 
be  done  in  Russia  without  hindrance  at  all.  I  do  not  know  if  the 
Bolsheviki  would  remain  in  power  for  a  number  of  years  how  mat- 
ters might  turn  out,  but  at  the  present  time  Russia  is  in  such  an 
upheaval  that  everybody  seems  to  have  his  own  voice  and  choice, 
just  as  in  the  times  in  Israel  when  each  man  did  as  he  pleased 
They  do  not  trouble  a  bit  about  the  religious  matters  in  Russia  at 
this  time.  I  think  that  it  is  an  exceedingly  expedient  time  to  send 
Gospel  messages  into  Russia  just  now.  Somebody  has  said  that  when 
two  dogs  get  together  to  fight  about  a  bone,  it  is  very  expedient  for 
a  third  dog  to  reach  out  and  snatch  it  away.  Now,  when  those 
political  parties   in  Russia  are   fighting  about  things  between  them- 


182  A  Great  Missionary  Program  for  Russia 

selves,  the  Christians  ought  to  get  in  and  run  away  and  do  the 
Gospel  work  while  it  can  be  done.  The  Russian  people  are  waiting 
for  something.  Imagine  the  most  religious  nation,  so  to  speak, 
upon  the  face  of  this  earth,  the  most  religious  nation  at  this  time. 
The  Czar  has  been  deposed,  for  all  I  know  he  may  be  dead.  The 
papers  this  evening  tell  us  he  has  been  killed.  He  was  the  head 
of  the  Greek  Church,  of  the  holy  synod  consisting  of  bishops  and 
archbishops.  The  whole  of  that  body  was  put  out  of  action  when 
the  Czar  was  deposed. 

Call  for  Help 

Rasputin,  the  evil  genius  of  the  Russians,  was  one  of  the  chief 
advisers  of  the  Czar.  The  Czarina  is  said  to  have  worshipped  before 
him  and  called  him  her  Christ,  her  meeeiah — Gregory  Rasputin. 
The  Greek  Church  became  the  place  for  all  kinds  of  political  in- 
trigue, until  the  Russian  people  have  lost,  most  of  them,  to  a  large 
extent,  all  their  faith  in  that  church.  The  educated  people  have  no 
regard  for  that  church  whatever.  When  the  revolution  broke  out 
a  year  ago,  from  that  time  up  to  this  night,  the  Russian  people  are 
turning,  with  their  earnest,  half  European,  half  Asiatic  faces,  and 
looking  to  us.  There  they  are  in  that  land  where  hunger  prevails,  where 
even  a  bottle  of  milk  costs  as  much  as  thirty  cents  at  present,  and 
a  pair  of  shoes  thirty-five  to  forty  dollars,  where  mothers  cannot  get 
milk  for  their  babies,  and  where  the  sufferings  of  the  Russian  people 
are  surpassing  anything  that  we  know.  And  they  look  now  towards 
us.  There  is  no  country  in  this  world  at  the  present  time  that  could 
stand  that  long;  there  is  no  country  that  has  the  liberty,  that  has 
the  resources,  that  has  the  power,  as  the  great  liberty-loving  land  of 
the  United  States  of  America.  Oh,  my  beloved  friends,  they  look 
toward  us  for  help;  they  look  to  you  through  the  eyes  and  strange 
faces  of  these  young  men  and  those  other  Russians  you  meet,  and 
they  say,  "Come  over,  and  help  us."  Go  to  your  bank  account  and 
look  into  it  and  then  help  with  this  work.  Here  are  these  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-two  million  of  white  people,  men  of  the  same  race 
as  you,  women  of  the  same  race  as  you,  children  like  your  children; 
and  they  do  not  know  what  to  do.  How  will  they  believe  unless 
they  are  preached  to?  How  will  they  preach  unless  through  a  society 
or  an  alliance  for  the  evangelization  of  Russia,  men  and  women 
who  know  God's  wonderful  salvation,  go  to  them? 

Religious    Liberty    Fund 

The  plan  and  program  of  our  committee  and  of  our  missionary 
alliance  here  is  to  launch  this  evening,  through  this  conference  and 


Pastor  William  Fetler  133 

representative  men  and  women  from  all  over  this  country  and 
Canada,  a  three  million  dollar  religious  liberty  fund  to  evangelize 
the  millions  of  the  Russian  people.  This  three  million  dollar  fund 
we  call  a  "religious  liberty  fund"  because  for  the  first  time  this 
religious  liberty  has  come  to  Russia.  One  million  of  this  fund  we 
propose  to  spend  on  the  printing  and  distributing  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures in  the  Russian  language.  The  second  million  dollars  we  want 
to  spend  to  educate  men  and  women,  especially  Russians,  for  work 
in  Russia.  Probably  we  may  have  to  put  up  a  large  school  on  the 
plan  of  the  Moody  Institute,  in  the  city  of  Moscow,  where  men  and 
women  can  gather  from  all  over  Russia  to  study  the  Bible  and 
music  and  go  back  to  preach  the  Gospel.  The  third  million  dollars 
is  to  go  for  direct  evangelistic  work  among  the  Russians.  This  money 
we  must  have  in  our  hands  as  soon  as  possible.  I  want  you  to  pray 
for  it.  I  want  you  to  give  as  much  as  possibly  you  can  pledge  before 
the  Lord.  Every  day,  every  month,  that  goes  by  now  in  Russia, 
thousands  of  souls  are  being  lost.  We  have  some  men  in  our  school, 
one  especially,  a  splendid  Christian  man.  He  said  to  me,  "Brother 
Fetler,  are  you  ready  to  go  back  to  Russia?  I  am  ready  to  go  tonight 
if  the  Lord  will  only  send  me."  Such  a  man,  if  he  could  be  sent, 
I  am  perfectly  confident  that  in  six  months  in  Russia  he  could  marshal 
a  host  of  five  hundred  evangelists  to  go  out  through  the  country  to 
all  the  tens  of  thousands  of  towns  and  villages  to  preach  the  Gospel. 
If  you  American  Christians  will  only  help  us  and  give  us  the  money, 
that  can  be  done. 

Let  me  finish  my  remarks  with  these  illustrations.  There  is  a 
story  about  the  feast  of  the  gods  on  Olympus.  Jupiter  was  there  and 
Venus  was  there  and  all  the  gods  of  the  old  Greek  mythology.  They 
were  feasting  and  down  below  people  were  worshiping  them  in  super- 
stition. They  were  living  in  their  sins  and  great  darkness  covered  the 
land.  Suddenly  a  ray  of  light  seemed  to  reach  the  mountain  peak  on 
which  this  feast  was  being  held;  and  presently,  coming 'slowly  up  the 
slope,  there  appears  the  form  of  a  man,  the  Man  of  Sorrows  and  the 
Man  acquainted  with  grief.  A  great  cross  i&  upon  His  shoulders.  A 
crown  of  thorns  is  upon  His  head.  Slowly  He  comes  up — the  Crucified 
Nazarene;  and  as  He  comes,  the  King  of  kings  and  the  Lord  of  lords, 
the  crown  falls  from  Jupiter  and  the  glory  departs  from  all  the  false 
gods,  and  they  disappear,  and  the  people  cry:  "Jesus  reigns  and  rules 
Siupreme."  That  is  what  we  want  to  see  in  Russia.  On  the  hill  of 
superstition,  on  the  hill  of  darkness,  let  us  send  men  and  women  who 
will  go  with  the  Word  of  the  Cross,  until  that  darkness  disappears. 
How  shall  we  do  it?    How  will  I  do  it?     How  will  you  do  it? 


134  A  Great  Missionary  Frogram  for  Russia 

A    Stirring    Illustration 

In  the  time  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  the  iron  man  of  England,  an  officer 
of  his  army  was  found  to  be  a  traitor,  and  Oliver  Cromwell  signed 
the  death  warrant  for  him.  An  order  was  given  that  the  next  morn- 
ing when  the  bell  from  a  nearby  church  steeple  should  ring  at  six 
o'clock  that  officer  was  to  be  shot.  The  wife  of  the  officer  came 
into  the  room  where  Oliver  Cromwell  was  and  fell  upon  her  knees 
and  said,  "Sir,  won't  you  pardon  my  husband?"  "No,"  he  said,  "he 
has  been  proving  himself  a  traitor  to  the  country  and  to  the  common- 
wealth, and  he  must  die  tomorrow  morning  when  the  bell  from  the 
church  steeple  nearby  will  ring  at  six  o'clock,  then  he  will  be  shot." 
And,  heart-broken,  this  woman  of  love  went  out  of  his  presence. 
Oh,  what  she  experienced!  She  did  not  sleep  that  night,  of  course; 
and  early  in  the  dawn,  long  before  sun  rise,  the  form  of  the  wretched 
woman,  torn  by  grief  in  her  heart,  was  seen  hurrying  towards  the 
church  steeple;  and  up  she  went,  step  by  step,  until  she  reached 
where  the  large  bell  was  hanging;  and  before  the  man,  perhaps  ninety 
years  of  age,  both  deaf  and  blind,  who  received  a  few  shillings  a 
month  for  his  service.  At  last  the  hour  came  for  the  man  to  ring 
that  bell.  This  woman,  the  wife  of  the  officer,  had  gone  and  under 
the  bell  she  had  hidden  herself,  and  when  that  blind  and  deaf  man 
began  to  take  hold  of  the  tongue  of  the  bell  and  pull  this  way,  this 
poor  woman  placed  her  hand  between  the  brass  tongue  of  the  bell 
and  the  side;  and  instead  of  striking  the  side  of  the  bell,  it  struck 
the  soft  hand  of  the  loving  wife  of  that  officer;  and  no  sound  was 
heard.  Then  the  man  swung  it  the  other  way,  and  this  woman  jumped 
up  and  put  her  left  hand  upon  the  other  side  of  the  bell,  and  it  struck 
her  left  hand.  For  about  five  minutes  it  kept  on  striking  against  her 
hands,  until  instead  of  fingers  there  were  only  shreds  of  flesh  and 
blood  left.  Tears  were  flowing  down  the  face  of  that  woman  in  her 
suffering,  but  she  never  made  a  sound  because  she  was  suffering  for 
a  loved  one.  And  when  the  man  had  finished  she  went  down,  the 
blood  dropping  to  the  floor,  and  she  went  to  Cromwell,  the  man  who 
had  said  her  husband  must  die.  She  stretched  forth  her  bleeding 
hands  and  said:  "For  the  sake  of  these  hands  won't  you  forgive  my 
husband?"  Cromwell  began  to  weep  and  he  said:  "Woman,  great 
is  thy  love.     Go  in  peace." 

Jesus  Christ  has  given  His  hands  for  the  poor  Russian  people. 
Jesus  Christ  has  suffered  because  of  them,  and  when  I  see  the  sacri- 
fice, when  I  see  how  much  He  loved  me,  what  is  it  that  I  can  hold 
back,  because  this  is  His  will?    Let  us  now  go  to  business. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  MISSIONS 

By  PASTOR  WILLIAM  FETLER 

THE  Holy  Spirit  and  the  importance  of  His  work  in  Christian 
missions  is  my  theme  and  I  mean  not  only  foreign  missions  but 
also  missions  at  home,  all  kinds  of  missions.  Whether  we  are 
sent  to  Chicago,  or  New  York,  or  Philadelphia,  or  Petrograd,  that  does 
not  so  much  concern.  If  you  should  ask  me  what  I  would  prefer  to  do 
if  I  could  tear  myself  away  for  a  while  it  would  be  to  go  away  for 
a  month  somewhere,  and  take  my  Bible  in  hand,  and  then  read  up 
about  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  if  I  had  never  read  about  the  Holy  Spirit 
before.  This  is  one  of  the  great  regrets  of  my  life,  and  I  suppose,  of 
the  lives  of  a  good  many  of  you,  that  we  do  not  know  all  that  there 
is  in  the  Bible  about  this  important  subject. 

I  consider  the  study  of  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  great  im- 
portant matter  which  we,  as  Christian  ministers  and  Christian  people, 
ought  to  understand.  Ignorance  about  the  Holy  Spirit  seems  to  me 
so  appalling  and  the  more  I  live  and  walk  up  and  down  the  country, 
both  here  and  also  across  the  sea,  the  more  saddened  I  am  at  heart, 
because  of  this  ignorance  of  Christian  people. 

I  just  put  down  in  my  Bible  study  last  night  and  this  morning 
a  few  thoughts  as  they  have  come  to  my  heart,  and  with  this  expecta- 
tion and  with  this  prayer,  that  some  great  change  might  take  place 
in  the  lives  of  some  of  you  friends,  perhaps  here  before  you  leave 
this  conference.  For  all  I  know,  some  of  you  have  been  sent  here 
just  for  this  purpose,  to  come  here  and  to  go  away  changed. 

Dr.   Pierson's  Experience 

I  am  not  going  to  speak  so  much  of  my  personal  experience,  be- 
cause that  might  be  out  of  place.  I  will  just  mention  one  or  two 
experiences  of  men  that  we  know  about  and  about  whose  experiences 
probably  there  would  be  no  question.  Take,  for  instance.  Dr.  Arthur 
T.  Pierson.  I  remember  having  read  what  he  said  as  to  his  own 
ministry.  He  had  been  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  for  about  twenty- 
five  years,  if  I  am  not  mistaken.  He  had  preached  as  thousands 
of  others  have.  He  has  ascended  his  pulpit,  given  an  elaborate  sermon 
or  discourse,  and  worked  in  his<  church  with  some  degree  of  blessing 
and  some  degree  of  success.  One  day  he  discovered  the  secret  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  He  discovered  that  the  promise  made  to  the  apostles 
and  to  the  early  Christian  church,  had  never  been  revoked;  for  this 
promise  is  "unto  you  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar 

135 


136  The  Holy  Spirit  in  Missions 

off" — as  far  as  New  York?  Yes.  As  far  as  Chicago?  Yes.  As  far  as 
Moscow?  Yes.  Dr.  Pierson  discovered  that.  Then  he  bent  himself 
before  the  Lord  and  asked  in  faith  for  what  belonged  to  him;  be- 
cause, of  course,  every  blessing  does  belong  to  us.  But  there  are  some 
people  who  do  not  understand  that  every  promise  is  given  to  us;  every 
blessing  that  belongs  to  the  children  of  God  is  ours.  Yet,  in  order 
that  they  should  become  ours,  we  have  to  appropriate  them  by  faith. 
If  a  rich  man  would  deposit  for  you  in  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago 
a  thousand  dollars  in  your  name,  you  would  still  have  to  live  without 
it,  unless  you  draw  a  check  and  go  and  claim  the  money  at  the  bank. 
So  all  the  promises  of  God  are  ours,  but  we  have  to  go  and  claim 
them  by  faith.  There  are  lots  of  good  things  in  the  department  stores; 
things  you  want  and  need;  but  unless  you  take  the  trouble  to  go  to 
the  store  and  pick  out  what  you  want,  you  won't  have  anything.  Now, 
Dr.  Pierson  claimed  this  promise.  And  this  is  what  was  impressed 
upon  my  mind,  as  I  read  about  it.  He  said  that  after  he  experienced 
by  faith  this  filling  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  six  months  he  had  more 
blessing  in  his  ministry  than  in  the  twenty-five  years  before.  Now 
that  is  simply  a  testimony.  We  have  no  reason  to  doubt  his  experience 
or  question  his  testimony. 

Dr.  Torrey,  who  is  to  preach  in  this  tabernacle  next  Sunday,  one 
of  the  men  whom  I  consider  among  the  most  deeply  taught  of  God 
in  this  land,  had  an  experience  on  the  same  order,  and  thousands 
of  men  have  had  the  same  experience  in  a  measure  much  like  my 
own.  I  have  had  a  degree  of  God's  blessing  since  I  fully  surrendered 
to  God.  Now,  you  know  there  are  a  great  many  people  who  do  not 
understand  the  simple  meaning  of  the  Bible  in  these  matters.  When 
a  message  comes  which  ought  to  be  applied  to  our  heart,  either  we 
shut  it  out  and  say  that  it  doesn't  belong  to  us,  or  else  we  apply  it  to 
somebody  outside,  or  else  we  say  it  belongs  to  the  millennium.  The 
other  day  I  heard,  for  instance,  that  a  minister  said  the  Lord's  Prayer 
belonged  to  the  millennium.  He  said,  "Our  Father,  who  art  in 
heaven,"  doesn't  belong  to  this  period  at  all.  Well,  bless  your  heart! 
You  can  wait  for  the  millennium,  if  you  like;  I  am  going  to  pray  now, 
because  He  is  my  Father  now. 

The  World  Within 

Note  also,  "Whom  the  world  cannot  receive."  Let  us  look  for 
"the  world"  now,  not  out  on  the  market  place,  not  across  the  sea, 
not  anywhere  far  away;  but  let  us  look  for  the  world  in  a  little  place 
called  our  heart,  and  let  us  examine  here  something  of  the  world. 
Any  man  who  makes  this  world  great  and  tries  to  be  so  much  at- 
tached to  what  is  happening  down  in  this  world,  you  watch  that  man 
and  you  will  notice  the  absence  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  anointing.    There 


Pastor  William  Fetler  137 

are  so  many  wrong  conceptions  of  what  the  Bible  teaches  about  this 
and  about  everything  else,  because  people  just  go  by  what  the  news- 
paper editorials  say.  They  go  by  what  the  country  says,  not  by  what 
the  Head  of  the  Church  says.  Some  Christian  workers  let  the  world 
take  possession  of  them,  and  then  we  are  surprised  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  does  not  rest  upon  them  in  power.  How  is  it  that  there  is  not 
a  great  deal  of  revival  spirit  in  our  ministry?  Why  is  it  that  there  is 
is  no  revival  spirit  in  our  church? 

I  will  go  to  the  First  Epistle  of  the  Apostle  John  and  read  a  verse  in 
the  second  chapter:  "Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are 
in  the  world.  For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the 
lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life  is  of  the  world."  I  cannot 
understand  why  a  Christian  man  or  woman  would  want  to  have  so 
many  unnecessary  things  that  the  heathen  pile  up  in  their  houses. 
Now,  the  Word  of  God  calls  this  "the  pride  of  life."  You  want  to  be 
like  the  Egyptians,  like  the  people  round  about  you.  I  went  once  to 
the  palace  of  a  princess  in  Russia.  She  had  come  under  the  influence 
of  the  Gospel  years  before  that  time.  She  read  the  Bible,  and  prob- 
ably she  thought  that  the  Lord  must  be  very  thankful  that  a  princess 
believes  in  the  Bible.  I  was  staying  there  several  days,  having  Bible 
readings  in  her  house.  And  one  day  she  said,  "Just  consider  this 
your  home.  Just  come  here  when  you  are  tired  and  worn.  Just 
consider  this  the  Lord's  home."  She  had  great  property  there,  worth 
millions,  thousands  of  cattle,  horses  and  all  kinds  of  things.  There 
was  another  friend  with  me.  Brother  Kuldell  of  the  Jewish  Christian 
work  is  this  country,  and  we  both  felt  like  pilgrims  and  strangers 
with  scarcely  a  place  to  put  down  our  heads.  I  said  to  him:  "If 
this  were  the  Lord's  palace,  I  think  He  would  sell  it  quickly,  and  go 
and  give  the  money  to  evangelize  the  Russian  millions."  Why  in  the 
world  does  a  princess  need  five  hundred  rooms  in  her  palace  and  a 
thousand  horses?  I  can  get  along  well  with  one  horse.  Don't  you 
see  now  what  I  mean?  Oh,  the  pride  of  life!  When  we  are  poor 
people  we  want  to  make  money  and  then  when  we  get  money  we 
want  to  get  more  things  all  the  time. 

Sin   Pi'events    the    Spirit 

When  I  married  my  wife  I  told  her:  "We  must  be  missionaries. 
We  are  going  from  place  to  place.  We  have  here  no  abiding  city." 
That  was  not  said  of  missionaries  only,  but  of  all  Christians.  There 
are  lots  of  Christian  people,  members  of  Christian  churches  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe,  who  have  forgotten  all  about  this.  The  Word 
of  God  says  that  "the  lust  of  the  flesh"  is  also  not  of  the  Father. 
It  is  also  part  of  the  world  that  will  keep  out  the  Holy  Spirit.  And 
then  there  are  men  and  women  who  think  nothing  of  it.     Let  me 


138  The  Holy  Spirit  in  Missions 

say  it  very  carefully — there  are  members  of  Christian  churches  who 
think  nothing  of  limiting  the  birth  of  children.  They  want  to  live  as 
husbands  and  wives,  but  they  do  not  want  to  have  the  results;  and 
they  go  into  the  sin  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  then  you  expect  a 
revival  in  a  church  of  that  sort.  There  are  ministers  who  do  the 
same  thing.  Are  you  surprised  by  the  horrors  of  war?  I  would  be 
surprised  if  there  were  not  such  a  war.  When  you  talk  differently 
and  act  differently  from  the  way  the  Bible  says  you  should,  then  the 
Holy  Spirit  cannot  work.  In  that  great  day  of  the  judgment,  when 
the  Lord  says,  "I  never  knew  you."  They  will  say,  "But  lo,  we 
preached  in  Thy  name."  "I  never  knew  you."  "But  we  sat  around  the 
communion  table."  "I  never  knew  you."  "We  are  Abraham's  chil- 
dren." "If  you  are  Abraham's  children,  you  would  do  the  works  of 
Abraham,"  said  Christ.  The  lust  of  the  flesh.  When  I  came  to  New 
York  with  my  wife  and  we  lived  in  a  large  apartment  building,  she 
began  to  talk  to  all  kinds  of  ladies  there.  And  as  my  wife  talked 
with  those  ladies  she  found  out  the  awful  corruption  in  married 
circles.  When  I  go  to  a  place  of  meeting,  I  don't  look  for  great  music, 
for  a  wonderful  choir  and  things  of  that  sort.  The  one  thought  that 
concerns  me  is:  "Is  the  Holy  Spirit  here."  And  if  He  is  not,  then 
I  am  saddened. 

"The  lust  of  the  eyes."  I  am  not  going  to  talk  much  about  this, 
simply  to  say  that  it  is  part  of  the  world.  To  see  something,  and  want 
to  have  the  same.  There  is  that  man,  and  he  looks  at  some  other 
man's  wife.  But  you  say:  "Christians  are  not  doing  that."  I 
know  ministers  of  prominence  in  this  country  who  are  falling  in 
that  sin.  Why  did  the  Word  of  God  say  that  we  must  be  a  peculiar 
people?  Why  you  can't  differentiate  in  most  churches  between  the 
saints  and  the  world,  they  are  so  much  alike.  You  don't  know  who 
are  Christians  and  who  are  not,  unless  you  come  to  a  place  like  the 
Moody  Tabernacle.  And  there  are  not  many  places  like  this.  We 
want  to  have  fashionable  churches,  we  want  to  have  the  richest  people 
with  us,  we  want  to  have  everything  in  the  finest  style,  and  all  things 
of  that  sort. 

Not  by   Might  nor   by   Power 

Now,  friends,  I  want  to  tell  you  another  thing.  The  Word  of  God 
says:  "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith  the 
Lord."  Jesus  promised:  "I  will  send  you  another  Comforter."  The 
original  word  for  that  Comforter,  "Paraclete,"  touches  my  heart, 
because  it  shows  that  those  that  are  the  children  of  God  are  led  by 
the  Spirit  of  God.  If  any  man  therefore  has  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ, 
he  is  none  of  His.  If  we  are  God's  children  in  this  present  age,  we  are 
led  not  by  Jehovah,  we  are  led  not  by  Jesus,  we  are  led  definitely  by 


Pastor  William  Fetler  139 

another  Comforter.  That  other  Comforter  reveals  to  us  Jesus.  He 
speaks  to  us  of  Jesus.  He  reveals  the  Father  to  us;  but  He  is 
another  Comforter.  That  word  "Paraclete"  means  simply  one  who  is 
near,  by  your  side;  as  a  mother  takes  care  of  her  babe,  as  a  teacher 
bends  over  the  shoulder  of  his  pupil  as  he  makes  some  drawings,  so 
the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  given  to  us.  Now  let  me  ask  a  question: 
How  many  of  you  men  and  women  have  known  this  leading  of  the 
Holy  Spirit?  How  many  of  you  have  known  how  much  He  has  been 
with  you,  how  much  He  has  guided  you  in  the  Word  of  God,  in  preach- 
ing, in  testifying,  in  singing?  I  have  come  to  this  conviction  that  any- 
thing, even  giving  money,  or  becoming  a  missionary,  everything  that 
is  offered  without  the  Holy  Spirit  is  futile.  Just  as  Christ  said: 
"Nobody  comes  to  the  Father,  but  through  Me,"  So  now  we  can  say: 
"Nobody  comes  to  Jesus,  but  through  the  Holy  Spirit."  There  is  no 
other  salvation.     Regeneration  is  by  the  Word  and  by  the  Spirit,  too. 

What  We  Want  in  Russia 

I  want  to  have  the  Holy  Spirit  take  up  the  work  in  Russia.  I  want 
Him  to  sweep  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  before  Him.  He  never 
works  independently  of  human  beings.  He  is  dependent  upon  men 
and  women,  the  men  and  women  who  will  be  clean  enough,  who  will 
be  humble  enough  to  go  out  there,  in  order  that  He  may  be  able  to 
use  them.  That  is  why  it  is  said,  "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but 
by  My  Spirit."  Now  listen.  Is  that  the  belief  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury church?  No,  it  is  not.  Let  us  go  back  from  this  conference  in 
the  power,  not  of  man  but  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  You  Russian  men,  when 
you  go  to  Russia,  don't  you  trust  in  great  powers,  don't  you  trust  in 
man,  but  put  your  trust  in  God.  Jesus  said:  "He  that  is  athirst,  let 
him  come  unto  me  and  drink."  And  "He  that  believeth  in  Me,  as  the 
Scriptures  say."  Not  as  some  university  says;  not  as  some  board  of 
missions  says;  not  as  William  Felter  says;  not  as  Moody  says;  but  as 
the  Scriptures  say.  "He  that  believeth  in  me,  as  the  Scriptures  say, 
out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water."  And  my  comfort 
has  been  this,  that  that  promise  comes  to  a  poor  Chinese  boy,  it  comes, 
to  a  poor  Indian  boy,  a  Japanese  boy,  to  whomsoever. 

Let  me  tell  you  plainly,  if  you  are  satisfied  with  what  you  can  do,  if 
you  do  not  thirst  for  greater  power  of  God,  you  will  never  get  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  Holy  Spirit  does  not  push  Himself  on  anybody.  We 
must  pray,  we  must  agonize,  we  must  humble  ourselves  before  God. 
I  talked  once  at  a  conference  on  this  subject,  and  there  were  a  number 
of  Christian  workers  and  young  missionaries  there;  and  as  I  looked 
at  them,  I  noticed  three  or  four  of  them  smile  among  themselves  as  if 
to  say,  "We  have  enough.  We  can  do  something.  We  have  had  our 
schooling."     Praise   God,   I   trample  my  college   education  under  my 


140  The  Holy  Spirit  in  Missions 

feet.  So  far  as  the  power  goes,  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  not  what  I 
can  do,  and  it  is  not  what  you  can  do.  Will  you  become  re- 
ceptacles, filled  and  cleansed  vessels  for  the  Holy  Spirit?  Will 
you  begin  to  say,  "Not  what  I  can  do,  not  what  my  denomination 
can  do,  not  what  a  great  board  can  do,  but  what  the  Holy  Spirit 
can  do?"  If  you  are  going  to  say  as  a  man  said  to  me:  "We  are 
showing  what  we  can  do,"  then  just  keep  off  the  platform.  Let  us  go 
into  the  pulpit  and  into  the  pew  and  into  the  missions  and  everywhere, 
and  let  us  give  place  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  Let  us  clean  out  the  world, 
let  us  cut  down  our  idols.  Let  us  separate  ourselves  from  politics  and 
things  of  that  sort,  and  we  will  see  if  God  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not 
going  to  work.  Let  us  be  definite  and  go  with  just  one  great  object, 
and  with  one  great  desire,  to  please  the  Holy  Ghost,  God  the  Father, 
and  God  the  Son.  If  we  have  to  displease  everybody  down  here,  let 
us  please  God. 


A  PLEA  FOR  THE  SIX  MILLION 
JEWS  IN  RUSSIA 

By  REV.  S.  B.  ROHOLD,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  Toronto 
President,   Hebrew   Christian   Alliance   of   America 

I  AM  not  going  to  give  an  exposition,  but  there  are  two  Bible  verses 
in  my  mind.  The  first  is  2  Samuel  9:3,— "And  the  king  said.  Is 
there  not  yet  any  of  the  house  of  Saul,  that  I  may  show  the  kind- 
ness of  God  unto  him?"  The  second  is  Lamentations  1:12,^ — "Is  it 
nothing  to  you,  all  ye  that  pass  by?  Behold,  and  see  if  there  be  any 
sorrow  like  unto  my  sorrow." 

I  have  no  claim  to  speak  for  Russia,  as  some  of  my  brethren  have,  but 
I  am  here  as  a  representative  of  the  Hebrew  Christian  Alliance  of 
America,  and  also  a  representative  of  Jewish  missions.  I  always  had 
a  feeling  for  Russia,  a  kindly  feeling  even  before  my  conversion. 

The  Jews  at  the  Forefront 

If  you  are  in  earnest  for  the  salvation  of  the  millions  of  Russians, 
then  you  must  put  at  the  forefront  the  six  million  Jews  there.  Russia 
will  not  be  converted,  if  you  leave  out  the  six  million  Jews.  Re- 
member also  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  go  against  the  Divine 
order,  and  the  Divine  order  is, — "The  Jew  first."*  Therefore,  I  am 
grateful  to  be  here  today  to  put  forward — "A  Plea  for  the  Six  Million 
Jews  in  Russia."  Why  should  we  trouble  about  the  Jews?  I  will  divide 
my  answer  into  three  sections:  1.  It  is  a  matter  of  duty.  2.  It  is  a 
matter  of  gratitude.     3.  It  is  to  redeem  our  character. 

1.  A  matter  of  duty.  If  we  believe  what  we  profess, — that  we  possess 
the  Divine  idea  of  God  and  worship;  if  we  believe  that  we  know  the 
Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life;  if  we  believe  that  we  possess  the  way  of 
salvation,  the  true  idea  of  God  and  worship;  then  it  is  our  duty  to  go 


*  It  is  simply  an  historic  fact  tliat  "tlie  Gospel  was  first  preached  to 
the  Jews,  then  to  the  Gentiles."  Tlie  oft  quoted  phrase  of  Romans  1:  16, 
"to  the  Jew  first,"  refers  to  the  truth  recorded  in  Acts  3:  26,  wliere  Peter 
speaking-  to  tlie  men  of  Israel,  says:  "Unto  you  first  God  having-  raised 
tip  his  Son  Jesus,  sent  him  to  bless  you  in  turning  away  every  one  of 
you   from   his   iniquity." 

The  phrase  denotes  an  historic  sequence  or  order  in  the  offer  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  first  century  rather  than  a  necessary  or  logical  or  Divinely 
appointed  order  controlling  the  plans  of  evangelization  in  this  present 
century. 

No  plan  for  evangelizing  Russia,  however,  is  adequate,  which  does  not 
take  into  consideration  the  six  million  Jews  as  well  as  the  thirty  times 
six   million    Gentiles    in    that    great    country. 

The  Editor. 
141 


142  A  Plea  for  the  Six  Million  Jews  in  Russia 

to  every  creature,  testifying  to  them  and  persuading  them  to  unite 
with  us. 

We  cannot  regenerate  any  man.  Regeneration  is  the  act  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  But  we  can  go  to  a  person,  testify  to  him,  and  persuade  him 
of  the  truth  of  our  faith,  and  this  is  the  command  of  our  blessed 
Master:  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature."  That  means  to  testify  and  persuade  every  creature.  Surely 
the  Jew  is  included  in  that. 

You  can  go  to  Russia,  for  instance,  and  meet  some  of  those  Russian 
brethren  who  are  unilluminated.  You  can  go  to  them,  get  hold  of 
them  and  persuade  them,  and  as  soon  as  they  are  enlightened  they 
will  throw  away  their  icons  and  all  the  other  things  and  come  into 
the  blessed  liberty  of  the  Gospel  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  You  go  to 
China,  you  meet  a  Chinese  heathen  and  educate  him,  and  his  mind 
may  be  changed.  Of  course,  as  I  said  before,  you  cannot  regenerate 
any  man,  but  you  can  illuminate  him.  You  can  say  to  him,  "Why 
worship  this  idol  made  of  wood  and  stone.  Worship  Jehovah,  who  is 
a  Spirit."  You  can  go  also  to  the  Hindu,  who  worships  certain  ele- 
ments of  nature.  You  can  illuminate  him.  You  can  educate  him, 
and  thus  win  him. 

Now  what  will  you  do  with  the  Jew?  If  you  say  that  we  can  per- 
suade the  Chinese,  the  Russians,  and  the  Italians  of  the  truth,  but  you 
say  of  the  Jews:  "They  are  a  stiff-necked  people.  They  have  an  old 
religion  and  we  cannot  persuade  or  change  them."  If  you  say  that, 
then  you  admit  that  they  have  something  which  is  superior  to  what 
you  have,  and  this  is  a  very  dangerous  thing  to  admit. 

What  will  you  tell-  the  Jews?  This  is  a  very  important  question. 
Now  you  must  remember  there  is  a  saying  in  Jerusalem:  "As  is  the 
Christian,  so  is  the  Jew."  What  will  you  tell  the  Jews?  Of  course, 
the  first  thing  you  have  is  the  Bible,  and  you  say  to  the  Jew: 
"Believe  the  Bible."  The  Jew  will  say:  "I  believe  in  the  Bible." 
And  you  must  remember,  there  are  orthodox  Jews  as  there  are 
orthodox  Christians,  there  are  reformed  Jews,  as  there  are  reformed 
Christians,  and  rationalistic  Jews,  as  there  are  rationalistic  Chris- 
tians. Then  you  will  say  to  the  Jew:  "Believe  in  the  New  Testament." 
You  must  remember  the  Jewish  mind  has  changed  toward  the  New 
Testament.  There  is  a  synagogue  in  London,  England,  where  they 
read  portions  of  the  New  Testament  on  Saturday  as  well  as  of  the  Old 
Testament.  And  there  is  in  Chicago  a  preacher  who  usually  takes  his 
text  from  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  other  important  sayings  of 
Jesus. 

You  will  tell  the  Jew  to  believe  in  Jesus.  This  is  the  most  vital  and 
important  point.  The  Jewish  mind  towards  Jesus  has  changed.  And 
here  is  where  the  Jewish  religion  is  challenging  Christianity  and  its 
challenge  is  vital  and  important. 


Rev.  S.  B.  RoJiold  143 

Taking    Renan's    Advice 

Some  years  ago  in  Paris,  there  was  a  great  gathering  of  the  re- 
formed Jews  from  Germany,  France,  England,  and  the  United  States. 
They  said:  "We  have  had  a  living  religion,  but  it  has  lost  its  power; 
we  must  do  something  to  revitalize  Judaism,  and  make  it  again  a  living 
religion."  The  strangest  thing  is  that  they  invited  a  Gentile  agnostic 
to  address  them,  and  he  was  exactly  like  the  false  prophet  of  old.  You 
remember  when  Balak,  King  of  Moab,  invited  Balaam  to  curse  Israel, 
he  said:  "I  cannot  curse  them,  for  their  God  has  blessed  them." 
But,  remember,  he  gave  Balak  some  awful  advice.  He  said  to  Balak 
that  Jehovah  the  God  of  Israel  was  a  jealous  God  and  that  He  was 
very  jealous  of  His  people,  because  He  had  chosen  that  people  to  be  a 
light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles  and  to  be  His  Glory.  "If  you  can  get 
that  people  to  commit  a  hideous  sin,  Jehovah  Himself  will  slay  them." 
And  you  remember  how  the  Moabites  exposed  themselves,  how  Israel 
fell,  and  thousands  within  Israel  were  slain.  The  same  advice  was 
given  by  that  modern  Balaam,  M.  Renan.  He  said:  "You  Jews  have 
made  a  most  terrible  mistake.  You  denounce  Jesus  as  an  impostor. 
You  speak  against  His  teaching.  You  cannot  do  it,  you  have  failed. 
You  Jews  must  now  claim  Jesus  as  one  of  your  own.  Proclaim  Him 
as  an  Isaiah,  as  a  Jeremiah,  as  a  Daniel,  if  you  like.  Proclaim  Him  as 
the  greatest  of  all  the  prophets;  but  in  doing  so  you  can  deny  Him 
of  His  Divinity."    They  took  this  awful  advice. 

A  most  interesting  thing  happened  not  very  long  ago  in  Russia, 
which  shows  the  possibilities  of  that  great  country.  A  company  of 
Jews  met  in  Odessa.  Among  them  was  a  young  lawyer,  who  opened 
the  Book  of  Jeremiah,  and  said:  "Here  is  where  our  people  make  a 
mistake.  Jeremiah  pronounced  the  awful  doom  of  our  holy  city  and 
the  Temple,  and  they  threw  him  in  a  dungeon,  not  one  of  the  Jews 
defended  him,  except  the  black  servants  of  the  king.  We  see  after 
two  thousand  and  three  hundred  years,  that  Jeremiah  was  a  man  of 
God,  and  that  we  made  a  terrible  mistake.  Perhaps  we  have  also  made 
a  mistake  in  the  trial  of  our  Brother,  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Let  us 
revise  His  trial."  And  they  formed  a  society  and  called  themselves, 
"The  Revisionists";  and  they  declared  Him  innocent  after  investiga- 
tion. 

Max  Nordau's   Testimony 

Father  Hyacinthe  wrote  a  letter  to  Dr.  Max  Nordau,  and  said:  "Now 
as  a  recognized  Zionist  leader,  you  ought  to  revise  the  trial  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth."    And  this  was  the  reply:      "There  is  no  need  to  revise 


144  A  Plea  for  tlie  Six  Million  Jews  in  Russia  . 

the  trial  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  it  has  long  ago  been  revised,  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  is  soul  of  our  soul,  flesh  of  our  flesh  and  bone  of  our  bone." 
And  then  he  made  a  challenge:  "If  the  people  of  Israel  have  not 
rendered  homage  to  the  sublime  beauty  and  moral  teachings  of  Jesus, 
it  is  because  their  tormentors  have  tortured  and  persecuted  them  in 
His  name." 

Soon  after  a  little  book  was  published  by  a  Jewish  rabbi  who  said: 
"Let  the  Christian  go  on  admiring  Jesus  the  Divine  who  lived  hu- 
manely, and  let  the  Jew  go  on  admiring  Jesus  the  human  who  lived 
Divinely."  Of  course,  that  is  all  very  beautiful  language,  but  it  means 
a  great  deal  to  Christendom.  Soon  after  that  a  new  synagogue  was 
formed  in  London,  England,  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  Claud  Monte- 
fiore,  who  has  a  very  strong  following.  In  there  synagogue  they  use 
part  of  the  New  Testament.  Still  later  Rabbi  Silverman  comes  and 
tells  us  that  there  is  not  a  leading  educated  Christian  minister  who 
believes  in  the  Trinity.  He  says:  "Since  we  have  taken  up  our 
liberal  attitude  towards  Jesus,  claiming  Him  as  our  own,  we  have 
discovered  something  new." 

Christianity's   Greatest  Antagonist 

Now,  it  is  this  modern  Judaism  which  is  the  greatest  antagonist  to 
Christianity.  Therefore,  I  have  come  to  view  the  rational  Christianity 
of  today,  styled  under  the  so-called  name  "Reformed,"  as  the  greatest 
stumbling  block  to  true  evangelical  Christianity.  I  do  not  mean  to 
reflect  on  the  honest  searchers  after  truth,  who  are  endeavoring  in 
humble  faith  to  establish  the  authenticity  and  bring  to  light  facts 
relating  to  the  testimony  of  the  Scriptures.  These  are  men  of  God, 
to  be  admired  and  loved.  But  men  who  irreverently,  through  their 
own  conceit,  are  trying  to  bring  down  Christ  to  the  level  of  the 
ordinary  prophets  are  robbing  us  of  the  dearest,  best  and  holiest  that 
we  cherish  in  our  Divine  Master,  Jesus  the  Christ  of  God.  It  is  the 
Divinity  of  Christ  that  holds  the  church  and  gives  her  life  and  inspira- 
tion, and  this  is  the  only  foundation  of  her  existence  and  continuity. 

Under  the  guidance  of  Moses  Mendelssohn  and  his  followers,  Judaism 
has  embarked  upon  the  stream  of  modern  life  and  culture,  and  the  cur- 
rents have  carried  it  to  lengths  and  in  directions  of  which  it  scarcely 
dreamed.  Even  if  we  admit  that  the  modern  liberal  tendency  has 
opened  new  avenues  of  contact,  remember  that  it  is  still  Jesus  Himself 
whom  the  Jews  must  accept  or  reject.  The  gulf  between  them  and 
Christianity  is  practically  as  wide  for  the  reformed  and  radical  Jews, 
as  that  which  must  be  crossed  by  the  orthodox,  before  they  acknowl- 
edge the  Lordship  and  Messiaship  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.    But  we  must 


Bev.  S.  B.  Roliold  145 

not  forget  that  liberal  Judiasm  with  all  its  complacent  acquiescence,  in 
acknowledging  the  uniqueness  and  greatness  of  Jesus  and  accepting 
certain  Christian  ethics,  is  a  combatant,  more  dangerous  to  Christianity 
than  orthodox  Judaism. 

If  we  follow  this  liberal  tendency,  we  see  at  once  its  aim  and  where 
it  ends.  It  is  an  unholy  alliance;  the  rationalistic  Jew  is  following 
the  rationalistic  Christian. 

Can  you  not  see  the  danger  into  which  we  are  drifting?  This  is  of 
vital  importance.  It  means  life  or  death  to  the  Christian  Church. 
Now,  what  is  the  real  difference  between  the  Jew  and  the  Chris- 
tian? The  real  difference  is,  the  Cross  of  Christ.  And  it  is  our  duty 
to  go  to  these  Jews  and  declare  that  Jesus  is  not  merely  one  of  the 
ancient  prophets,  not  merely  the  greatest  of  the  prophets,  but  that  He 
is  the  Divine  Son  of  the  Living  God,  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the 
Father,  the  effectual  Paschal  Lamb  of  God,  the  complete  atonement, 
the  first-fruit  of  them  that  slept,  the  Risen  Christ,  the  ascended 
Saviour,  the  soon-coming  and  reigning  King.  Unless  we  do  this  with 
an  absolute  certainty,  then  all  our  efforts  and  missionary  enterprises 
are  doomed  to  failure. 

We  do  not  want  the  Jew  to  become  a  gentile.  What  we  want  is  that 
the  Jews  should  be  reconciled  with  Jesus  Christ,  first  of  all,  their 
Elder  Brother;  then,  with  God  through  Jesus.  It  means  harmony  and 
peace  with  God  through  the  Prince  of  Peace.  And  when  the  Jew  will 
be  reconciled  with  Jesus  and  with  God,  then  there  will  come  recon- 
ciliation between  the  Christian  and  the  Jew,  and  the  Jew  and  the 
Christian.  So  it  is  a  matter  of  duty  to  protect  our  faith.  A  dead 
Christ  means  nothing.  A  living  Christ  is  what  makes  our  lives  one 
with  Him.  And  Christianity  is  not  a  mere  thing  of  faith;  Chris- 
tianity is  life,  and  Jesus  is  the  life  within  us. 

2.  Gratitude.  I  hardly  need  speak  on  this  point.  All  we  have  today, 
the  Divine  idea  of  God,  the  Divine  idea  of  true  worship,  the  Book  that 
you  have,  the  Bible,  the  Institute,  what  would  it  be  without  the  Book? 
and  the  Jews  have  been  the  means  of  God  to  prepare  all  this.  If  I 
had  time  I  could  show  what  the  church  owes  to  Israel,  from  first  to 
last.  Who  were  the  first  martyrs  of  the  Christian  faith?  Who  were 
the  Apostles  and  evangelists?  But  when  I  think  of  all  this,  I  think 
of  One  who  is  greater  than  all  these,  the  One  who  did  not  take  on 
Him  the  nature  of  angels,  but  came  from  the  seed  of  Abraham,  "to 
become  a  blessing  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth." 

Blessings  abound  wher'er  He  reigns; 
The  prisoner  leaps  to  loose  his  chains; 
The  weary  find  eternal  rest, 
And  all  the  sons  of  God  are  blest. 


146  A  Plea  for  tlie  Six  Million  Jews  in  Russia 

All  this  we  owe  to  Israel.  What  would  the  church  do  without  its 
converted  Jews?  Without  dwelling  any  further  on  this,  we  can  rightly 
say  that  we  must  go  to  Israel  with  the  Gospel.  As  a  matter  of  grati- 
tude. 

3.  Redeeming  our  character.  This  point  is  perhaps  the  most  vital 
and  important.  When  I  deal  with  it,  I  deal  with  it  in  love  and  truth. 
Beloved,  you  must  remember  there  has  been  a  great  misunderstand- 
ing, not  only  between  the  Jew  and  his  Saviour,  but  also  between  the 
church  and  the  Jew. 

The  Messiah  Misunderstood 

One  is  amazed  at  Israel's  attitude.  The  people  of  Israel,  at  the 
time  when  our  blessed  Lord  appeared,  were  miserably  divided.  There 
were  the  Pharisees,  with  their  eleven  different  sects.  There  were  the 
Sadducees,  the  Ebionites,  the  Zealots,  the  Essenes,  and  all  the  other 
religious  functionaries  dividing  the  people.  But  while  they  were 
divided,  they  were  united  in  one  great  idea,  viz.,  that  of  waiting  for 
the  Deliverer  to  come.  While  they  were  so  unitedly  waiting  for  the 
Messiah,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  appeared,  but  He  did  not  measure  up  to 
their  preconceived  idea.  They  misunderstood  their  high  calling.  They 
forgot  the  purpose  for  which  God  has  chosen  them  to  be  His  people. 
He  set  them  upon  the  seven  hills,  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  in  order 
that  they  should  make  known  His  name  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  but  they  did  not  realize  this.  They  thought  God  had  chosen 
them  for  themselves,  and  so  they  expected  a  Messiah  of  their  own 
making.  They  expect  a  Messiah  that  would  come  riding  on  a  great 
horse,  one  carrying  a  sword  to  subdue  the  nations  of  the  earth  and 
make  them  the  inheritors  of  the  whole  earth.  But  here  instead  ap- 
peared, the  lowly  Man  of  Galilee,  a  poor  rabbi.  He  brought  a  most 
extraordinary  message.  His  message  was  absolutely  new  and  unknown 
to  the  world.  Even  Jewish  scholars  of  repute  have  to  acknowledge 
that  Jesus'  authentic  message  was  most  original.  What  was  His 
message?  "Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  rest."  That  was  new.  He  calls  not  only  to  all  Israel, 
but  to  all  kinds  and  conditions  of  men.  That  was  a  new  thing  at  that 
time.  They  could  not  understand  it.  More  than  this,  they  could  not 
understand  His  apparent  contradictions.  He  said,  "The  birds  of  the 
air  have  their  nests  and  the  foxes  have  their  caves,  but  the  Son  of 
man  has  no  where  to  lay  His  head."  Then  He  tells  them  that  He  is 
the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus.  He  goes  into  the  temple  and  turns  over 
the  tables  of  the  money  changers  and  drives  them  out  with  an  author- 
ity unknown  to  them.    They  could  not  understand  His  whole  procedure, 


I 


Bev.  8.  B.  Boliold  147 

and  so  they  rejected  Him.  You  know  that  darkest  of  all  tragedies  that 
followed.  "When  He  came  unto  His  own  and  they  that  were  His  own 
received  Him  not."  Nineteen  hundred  years  of  exile  and  shame  among 
all  the  nations  have  not  been  enough  to  wash  away  that  awful  sin. 
There  has  been  the  loss  of  land  and  freedom.  The  beautiful  temple 
has  gone.  There  is  no  ark  of  the  covenant  and  no  Shekinah  glory. 
In  a  few  days  they  will  be  celebrating  the  ninth  of  Ab,  the  anniversary 
of  the  day  in  which  the  temple  was  twice  destroyed  by  fire,  first,  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  and  later  by  Titus.  They  will  sit  on  the  bare  floor 
and  cry:  "Our  crown  is  fallen,  woe  unto  us,  we  have  sinned!"  But 
they  have  not  yet  recognized  the  real  sin  of  Israel. 

Another  Misunderstanding 

This  was  the  first  and  great  misunderstanding  between  the  Jew 
and  his  Saviour,  between  the  Jew  and  his  only  King,  his  only  Hope. 
But  just  as  the  Jew  failed  to  recognize  the  true  character  of  Jesus 
and  His  mission,  the  Gentile  church  failed  to  understand  her  true 
relationship  to  Israel.  It  is  a  tragedy  from  first  to  last.  You  re- 
member that  extraordinary  Jew,  Paul  of  Tarsus.  He  was  a  Pharisee 
of  unimpeachable  character.  When  he  makes  declaration  of  his  faith 
and  is  reciting  his  past  history,  standing  in  Jerusalem,  no  one  dares 
to  attack  the  truthfulness  of  his  statements.  This  Pharisee  hated 
Jesus  and  persecuted  the  church  and  believed  in  his  heart  that  he 
was  doing  God  a  service.  But  when  that  extraordinary  vision  came 
to  him  on  his  way  to  Damascus,  oh,  what  a  change!  It  was  a  marvel- 
ous change  and  only  possible  through  the  action  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
He  became  a  new  creature,  ready  to  die  for  his  newly-found  Lord 
Jesus.  He  goes  to  the  Gentiles  and  testifies  to  them.  A  little  church 
has  been  formed  in  Rome.  A  heresy  crept  into  the  church;  they 
believed  that  when  the  Jews  crucified  the  Nazarene,  they  crucified 
Him  with  their  eyes  open,  well  knowing  that  He  was  their  Messiah 
and  King.  Having  thus  rejected  Him  wilfully  therefore  all  claims  of 
the  Gospel  were  forfeited  by  them.  That  was  really  the  attitude  of 
the  gentile  Christian  church.  They  believed  the  Jew  has  forfeited  all 
the  claims  of  the  Gospel.  When  Saint  Paul  heard  of  it,  his  heart  was 
broken,  and  it  is  this,  we  believe,  which  prompted  him  to  write  the 
eleventh  chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  He  cries  out  from  his 
heart:  "Hath  God  cast  away  His  people?  God  forbid,  for  I  also  am 
an  Israelite  of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  God 
hath  not  cast  away  His  people."  Peter  and  John  when  standing  at 
the  gate  of  the  temple  in  Jerusalem,  speaking  to  the  Jews,  make  this 
declaration:     "We  know  that  in  ignorance  you  did  it,  as  did  also  your 


148  A  Flea  for  tJie  Six  Million  Jews  in  Russia 

rulers."    But  in  those  early  days  the  Christians  thought  that  the  Jew 
was  outside  the  pale  of  Christianity. 

The  first  congress  of  bishops  decided  that  the  Jews  had  forfeited 
their  claims  to  the  Gospel,  and  for  centuries  they  were  denied  admis- 
sion into  the  Christian  church.  Later,  a  new  idea  came  to  the  church, 
viz.,  to  evangelize  the  Jews,  whether  they  wanted  it  or  not;  and  so 
there  was  organized  the  fearful  inquisition  with  all  its  hideous  ma- 
chinery.   Thus  the  Jews  were  driven  farther  away  from  the  Gospel. 

The  Jews  Among  the  Nations 

Have  you  ever  read  of  the  Jews  in  England?  How  often  the  popu- 
lace invaded  the  Jewish  quarter  in  London,  giving  themselves  to  mas- 
sacre and  robbery?  Only  Jewish  history  can  find  such  a  tragedy  as 
occurred  in  York,  whither  the  flames  of  persecution  had  spread,  when 
the  priests  and  elders  appeared  before  the  Jewish  synagogue  with  an 
iron  cross,  asking  them  to  fall  down  and  worship  it.  Israel,  true  to 
her  monotheistic  ideas,  refused  and  fire  was  set  to  the  synagogue,  and 
men,  women  and  children  were  burned  alive.  The  venerable  rabbi, 
with  five  hundred  Jews  who  took  shelter  in  the  castle,  on  hearing  the 
cries  and  seeing  the  flames,  said  to  his  people:  "This  day  the  Lortl 
calls  upon  us  to  die  for  our  faith."  Then  parents  killed  their  children, 
and  afterwards  themselves,  and  when  the  persecutors  came  there  were 
none  to  persecute. 

On  All  Saints  Day,  1290,  all  the  Jews  were  expelled  from  Great 
Britain  en  masse  and  all  their  property  confiscated.  France  expelled 
the  Jews.  In  Spain,  between  the  twelfth  and  the  middle  of  the  four- 
teenth centuries,  no  less  than  two  hundred  thousand  Jews  were  slain. 
The  rest  were  expelled  and  their  property  confiscated.  Where  should 
they  go?  Here  is  the  irony,  as  well  as  the  tragedy,  the  Jew  fieeing  from 
Christian  hate  and  finding  shelter  with  the  wild  Mohammedans  of 
Arabia.  But  the  majority  found  rest  in  Poland,  and  when  Poland 
was  divided  and  Russia  received  the  lion's  share,  six  million  Jews 
found  themselves  clustered  within  that  great  and  dark  country.  In 
Russia  what  did  the  Jew  do  when  oppressed?  Do  you  remembe/ 
Jacob  of  old,  what  he  did  when  he  was  afraid  of  his  brother  Esau, 
lest  he  would  slay  the  mother  and  the  child?  He  sent  a  present  to 
Esau,  so  many  camels,  so  many  donkeys,  and  so  many  horses,  each 
going  in  front  of  the  other  with  a  servant  to  proclaim  that  it  was  a 
present  from  his  servant  Jacob  to  Esau,  his  older  brother.  That  is 
what  the  Jew  has  been  doing  for  centuries.  Rulers  down  to  the 
commonest   policeman   have  to   be   bribed   in   order  to   get   anything. 


Rev.  S.  B.  Roliold  149 

Those  who  have  travelled  through  Russia,  know  what  it  means  to 
live  there  and  the  terror  of  that  life,  and  yet  there  is  an  extraordinary- 
love  for  the  country.  We  see  it  among  the  people.  They  have  been 
persecuted  dreadfully  and  yet  they  stay  and  live  there. 

Creating  the  Ghettos 

In  1882  the  new  May  Laws  were  put  in  force,  and  it  was  ordained 
that  all  Jews,  with  the  exception  of  the  very  rich,  were  expelled,  and 
forced  to  move  into  the  larger  cities,  thus  creating  the  fearful  ghettos, 
with  conditions  impossible  to  describe.  All  universities  were  closed 
to  the  Jews.  If  a  young  Jew  wanted  to  attend  the  university,  there 
was  only  one  door  open  to  him,  and  that  was  by  apostatizing  to  the 
Greek  Catholic  Church.  The  condition  of  the  Jewish  girl  was  still 
worse.  If  she  wanted  to  enter  a  university  and  obtain  a  higher  edu- 
cation, there  was  only  one  door  open  to  her,  and  that  was  by  securing 
a  "yellow  ticket."  In  an  audience  like  this  I  am  afraid  to  explain  in 
plain  language  what  a  "yellow  ticket"  means.  Life  in  Russia  became 
so  oppressive  that  all  kinds  of  societies  were  formed  to  remove  the 
Jews  from  Russia  and  plant  them  in  another  country.  During  the 
past  thirty  years  Baron  Edmund  de  Rothschild  spent  no  less  than  one 
hundred  million  francs  in  settling  the  Jews  in  Palestine.  Baron 
Hirsch  left  fifteen  million  sterling  (£15,000,000)  and  besides  this, 
money  has  been  gathered  throughout  the  world  to  remove  the  Jews 
from  Russia.  During  the  past  thirty  years  no  less  than  one  hundred 
million  ($100,000,000)  has  been  spent  on  settling  the  Jews  in  Pales- 
tine. The  influx  of  the  Jews  from  Russia  into  Palestine  was  something 
like  one  thousand  a  year.  When  the  Balkan  war  broke  out  the  new 
immigrant  in  Palestine  would  not  go  to  fight  a  battle  which  was  not 
his  own,  and  perhaps  half  of  the  young  people  who  had  been  settled 
in  Palestine  during  these  years  fied  away  from  the  country  and  came 
to  America.  During  the  years  1899  to  1913,  1,347,590  Jews  came  from 
Russia  and  settled  in  this  country;  nearly  half  a  million  Jews  set- 
tled in  Great  Britain,  Germany  and  in  other  parts  of  Europe;  but  when 
the  new  census  appeared  in  Russia,  it  was  found  that  there  was  an 
increase  of  the  Russian  Jewry  to  6,060,000,  an  actual  increase  of 
845,000  during  the  preceding  fifteen  years.  This  revealed  a  most 
disappointing  and  disquieting  situation.  It  meant  that  the  constant 
and  heavy  emigration  was  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  natural 
increase  of  the  population.  In  spite  of  the  trains  and  ships  that  carry 
the  Russian  Jews  by  scores  of  thousands  to  other  lands,  there  is  a 
bigger  Jewish  population  than  ever.  Such  a  fact  may  well  engender 
a  feeling  of  despair  in  the  hearts  of  the  Jews  who  rely  entirely  on 
philanthropic  methods  to  cope  with  the  Jewish  problem.  After  all 
the  Russian  Jewish  problem  has  not  advanced  an  inch  from  where  it 


150  A  Plea  for  the  Six  Million  Jews  in  Russia 

stood  when  the  great  exodus  began  a  generation  ago.  While  new 
ghettos  have  been  planted  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  the  pale  still 
exists,  in  all  its  misery,  with  a  population  driven  closer  to  its  walls. 
Six  millions  still  tremble  at  the  word  "pogrom."  That  is  the  net 
result  of  thirty  years'  striving.    What  a  pitiable  tragedy! 

The  Present  Calamity 

But  now  all  these  past  sorrows  of  Israel  become  pale  in  view  of  the 
present  calamity  that  has  befallen  the  scattered  people.  Massed  in  the 
very  crater  of  the  world-war,  they  are  passing  in  real  truth  through 
the  "valley  of  the  shadow,"  and  are  stumbling  in  its  brooding  dark- 
ness. Old  problems,  old  difficulties,  and  sorrows  have  been  forgotten, 
in  the  one  overpowering  agony  of  an  unprecedented  conflict.  The 
world-struggle  is  searching  the  very  vitals  of  the  race,  stirring  its 
energies,  revolutionizing  its  life  and  transforming  its  outlook.  This 
is  a  sorrowful  situation,  but  what  about  Israel's  critical  spiritual  con- 
dition. 

To  deal  with  Israel  is  to  go  to  them  with  the  message  of  truth:  If 
you  really  have  on  your  heart  the  conversion  of  the  millions  of  Rus- 
sians, it  is  no  use  for  you  to  think  that  they  will  be  converted  if  you 
ignore  Israel.  Russia  must  be  thought  of  as  a  whole  and  its  peoples 
must  be  won  for  Christ. 

You  must  remember  wonderful  things  have  happened  and  are  being 
wrought  in  Russia.  As  Associate  Editor  of  the  Missionary  Review  of 
the  World,  I  am  vitally  interested  in  every  movement  in  Russia.  I 
have  a  number  of  friends  there.  My  Russian  brethren  must  remem- 
ber that  when  I  speak  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Jew,  in  Russia,  I  do  not 
blame  anyone  here,  or  even  the  Russian  people.  How  can  one  go  and 
tell  people  in  Russia  after  some  of  these  horrible  pogroms,  that 
Jesus  is  love,  when  they  saw  a  priest  with  a  cross  going  and  leading 
in  such  a  pogrom?  When  I  aided  some  of  them  and  told  them  I  was 
doing  it  for  Christ's  sake,  they  said:  "For  Christ's  sake?  why  they 
kill  us  here  for  Christ's  sake!"  There  was  a  certain  Jew  who  had 
been  converted  to  Christ  and  he  told  me  this  story,  and  it  is  really 
beautiful.  He  had  an  old  mother  and  she  was  killed,  and  he  said:  "I 
had  bitterness  of  soul  and  I  hated  everyone.  I  hated  God  and  I  hated 
every  being.  I  was  going  down  a  street  and  a  young  Russian  about 
thirty  years  of  age  came  over  to  me  and  began  to  kiss  my  hands  and 
to  say:  'Forgive  me,  forgive  me.'  And  I  looked  up  at  him  and  asked: 
'What  do  you  want  me  to  forgive  you  for?'  He  said:  'You  are  my 
brother.  I  was  not  a  Christian.  Now  I  have  become  a  Christian.  I 
was  in  your  house  and  gave  you  a  beating.  I  hated  your  race,  but  I 
have  Jesus  now,  I  am  a  Christian,  and  I  have  been  looking  for  you. 
I  want  you  to  forgive  me.'     The  Russian  would  not  let  him  go,  but 


Eev.  S.  B.  Roliold  151 

led  him  away  to  the  Jewish  Mission  Hall  and  he  said  to  him:  'This 
Jew  is  also  a  Christian  and  he  will  explain  to  you  how  I  was  not  a 
Christian  when  I  wronged  you.  Now  I  am  a  Christian,  and  I  must 
love  you.'  "  The  Jew  could  not  but  see  that  this  man's  heart  was 
changed  and  that  he  meant  what  he  said.  The  result  was,  the  Jew 
also  accepted  Christ. 

A    Personal    Experience 

Another  incident  comes  to  my  mind:  An  old  Jew  coming  from 
Odessa  was  afraid  of  the  new  immigration  laws.  He  had  lost  every- 
thing in  Odessa.  I  made  his  acquaintance,  and  said  to  him:  "You 
need  not  be  afraid  I  will  get  you  through,  I  will  take  you  under 
my  protection."  I  did  get  him  through,  and  made  myself  responsible 
for  him.  I  took  him  to  a  Jewish  boarding  house,  and  found  the  poor 
man  had  not  a  cent,  and  thought,  "I  will  begin  my  first  business  with 
this  man."  I  said  to  him:  "Here  is  five  shillings  take  this  in  the 
name  of  Jesus."  As  soon  as  he  heard  the  name  of  Jesus,  he  threw  the 
money  on  the  floor.  He  said,  "You  are  a  Jesus  man,  I  will  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  you,  I  would  rather  starve  than  take  a  half-penny  in 
His  name."  He  had  lost  everything  in  the  name  of  Christianity.  He 
thought  Christianity  was  something  hideous.  Now,  dear  friends,  I 
felt  it  was  my  duty  to  go  after  that  man  and  redeem  the  character 
of  my  Lord  with  that  man,  and  I  went  after  him  I  think  fully  six 
months.  One  day  there  was  an  hour  of  grace.  He  listened  to  the 
message,  and  I  succeeded  to  point  out  to  him  what  true  Christianity 
is;  what  Jesus  has  done  for  the  salvation  of  men;  and  he  found  in 
Him  a  Saviour  and  a  Redeemer. 

Dear  friends,  if  you  love  the  Lord,  especially  you  Russian  people 
who  know  what  an  idea  the  Jew  in  Russia  has  about  Jesus,  it  is  your 
duty  to  redeem  the  character  of  our  blessed  Lord  among  those  six 
million  Jews  of  Russia,  and  you  can  do  it.  It  has  been  proven  that 
the  Russian  is  a  kind  person.  I  am  not  here  to  flatter  my  Russian 
brethren.  I  only  say  it  because  it  is  true.  If  these  Russian  people 
would  be  taught  to  be  at  peace  with  the  Jew,  then  there  would  be  no 
barrier  to  lead  the  Jew  to  the  Gospel,  and  then  if  the  Jew  is  con- 
verted the  whole  of  Russia  will  be  converted.  Therefore,  dear  friends, 
I  appeal  to  you  this  day,  particularly  to  our  Brother  Fetler,  and  those 
who  are  associated  with  him,  to  remember,  if  you  really  have  Russia 
at  heart,  then  the  six  million  Jews  in  Russia  must  be  first  on  the 
program;  not  because  I  am  a  Jew,  but  because  it  is  the  Divine  order: 
"To  the  Jew  first,"  and  you  cannot  go  against  the  Divine  order  and 
plan  of  God.* 


See  foot-note  on  page  141. 


152  A  Plea  for  the  Six  Million  Jews  in  Russia 

I  close  this  my  message  with  the  words  of  my  text:  "Is  it  nothing 
to  you  all  ye  that  pass  by?  Behold,  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like 
unto  my  sorrow?"  I  also  repeat  to  you  what  David  said:  "Is  there 
yet  any  that  is  left  of  the  house  of  Saul,  that  I  may  show  him  kind- 
ness for  Jonathan's  sake."  For  Abraham's  sake,  for  David's  sake,  fo'r 
the  Apostles'  sake,  finally,  and  above  all,  for  Christ's  sake.  Israel 
was  a  means  in  the  hand  of  God,  and  gave  unto  us  Him  who  is  our 
Saviour  and  our  King.  Let  us  go  and  give  back  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
to  the  Jews,  that  they  too  may  rejoice  and  sing  "unto  Him  who  loved 
us  and  who  gave  Himself  for  us." 


THE  RUSSIAN  ORTHODOX  CHURCH 

By  REV.   ROBERT  M.  RUSSELL,   D.    D.,  LL.  D. 

PRIOR  to  the  deposition  of  the  Czar  and  the  downfall  of  the 
imperial  government,  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  was  the 
Russian  division  of  what  is  termed,  the  Eastern,  or  Oriental 
Church;  or,  as  it  calls  itself,  "The  Holy  Orthodox  Catholic  and  Apos- 
tolic Oriental  Church."  The  term  "Oriental"  is  used  to  designate  its 
origin  and  geographical  territory;  while  the  term  "Orthodox"  ex- 
presses its  close  adherence  to  the  oecumenical  system  of  doctrine  and 
discipline  as  set  forth  by  the  seven  oecumenical  councils  held  before 
the  separation  from  the  Latin  Church.  A  large  emphasis  is  placed 
upon  the  term,  "Orthodox,"  and  a  special  day  called  "Orthodoxy  Sun- 
day" is  celebrated  in  the  beginning  of  Lent,  each  year,  when  a  dra- 
matic representation  of  the  old  oecumenical  councils  is  given  in  the 
churches,  and  anathemas  are  pronounced  on  all  heresies.  It  should 
be  noted  that  the  Roman  Church  claims  all  these  titles  except  "Orien- 
tal," for  which  she  substitutes  "Roman." 

Extent  and  Divisions 

The  Greek  Church,  reckoned  as  one  of  the  three  great  divisions  of 
Christendom,  had  itself  three  important  branches:  The  church  within 
the  Ottoman  Empire,  subject  directly  to  the  Patriarch  of  Constantin- 
ople; the  church  in  the  kingdom  of  Greece,  ruled  by  the  Holy  Synod  of 
Greece;  and  the  Russo-Greek  Church  in  the  Russian  Empire,  ruled 
by  the  Russian  Holy  Synod  under  the  authority  of  the  Czar.  There 
are  besides,  the  churches  of  Roumania  and  Servia,  which  no  longer 
recognize  the  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  and  the  Bulgarian  Church, 
which  has  been  independent  since  the  Berlin  Congress  in  1878,  and 
several  smaller,  independent  churches,  such  as  Cyprus,  Alexandria, 
Sinai,  Montenegro,  Antioch,  and  Jerusalem.  By  far  the  largest  division 
of  the  Oriental  Church  has  been  the  Russian,  which,  according  to  offi- 
cial estimates,  has  for  its  adherence  seventy  per  cent  of  the  hundred 
eighty-two  million  Russian  population.  Prior  to  the  revolution,  the 
power  of  the  Greek  Church,  centering  in  the  Synod  of  St.  Petersburg, 
stretched  in  an  unbroken  line  across  the  two  continents  of  Europe 
and  Asia.  During  this  period  of  political  and  religious  union,  the 
Czar  was  the  personal  center  even  as  Constantinople  was  the  local 
center  of  the  whole  Greek  Church.  This  fact  accounts  for  the  lustful 
eye  of  conquest  which  was  ever  turned  toward  the  city  of  the  Bos- 
phorus  as  the  future  capital  of  the  Russian  Empire. 

153 


154  The  Russian  Orthodox  Church 

Differences  Between  the  Greek  and  Roman  Churches 

The  Greek  and  Roman  Churches  are  much  alike  in  their  creed, 
polity  and  forms  of  worship,  yet  they  have  been  irreconcilable  rivals. 
The  doctrinal  differences  between  the  Greek  and  the  Roman  Churches 
consists  chiefly  in  the  rejection  by  the  Greeks  of  the  word,  Filioque, 
in  the  creed,  as  referring  to  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  from  the 
Father  in  the  Trinity;  in  their  rejection  of  the  authority  of  the  Pope, 
and  of  the  word  "purgatory,"  though  they  believe  in  a  state  of  purga- 
tion after  death,  and  in  the  efficacy  of  prayers  for  the  dead.  They 
teach  seven  sacraments  although  the  ritual  of  their  administration 
differs  somewhat  from  the  Roman.  Baptism  is  by  triple  immersion. 
Confirmation  is  given  with  baptism  even  to  infants,  and  by  priests,  not 
by  bishops  exclusively,  as  with  Rome.  The  Greek  Church  teaches 
transsubstantiation  just  as  the  Roman,  and  the  adoration  of  the  host. 
It  uses  leaven  instead  of  unleavened  bread  for  the  sacrament,  and 
gives  communion  even  to  children.  Extreme  unction  has  certain 
special  rights,  and  may  be  given  several  times  during  the  same  ill- 
ness. Marriage  is  allowed  to  priests  and  deacons  before  ordination, 
and  is  in  some  of  the  churches  encouraged.  Bishops  are  required  to 
be  celibate,  and  are  consequently  selected  from  the  monastic  orders. 
A  second  marriage;  or  marriage  with  a  widow,  is  not  permitted. 
Prayers  to  the  blessed  virgin  and  the  saints,  whose  pictures  are  ex- 
posed for  veneration,  are  common.  Graven  images  are  not  permitted, 
except  of  the  cross,  though  crucifixes  are  not  used.  Pictures  and 
figures  in  bas-relief  have  about  the  same  place  of  veneration  in  the 
Greek  Church  that  images  have  in  that  of  Rome.  Pictures  and  icons 
are  everywhere  in  display,  connected  with  the  worship  of  the  Greek 
Church.  So  long  as  the  Czar  occupied  the  throne  of  Russia,  he  was 
the  political  and  religious  rival  of  the  Pope  of  Rome.  The  effect  of 
the  breaking  down  of  the  Russian  Empire  on  the  Russian  Church 
cannot  now  be  estimated.  To  what  extent  the  power  of  the  Greek 
Church  may  work  toward  a  prolonged  unity  of  the  conglomerate  of 
nations,  constituting  the  former  Russian  Empire,  cannot  be  estimated. 
This  alone  is  sure,  that  the  Greek  Church,  being  no  longer  sustained 
by  political  alliance,  will  cease  to  be  a  persecuting  power.  Religious 
liberty  and  opportunity  for  true  evangelism  must  follow  in  the  wake 
of  present  political  revolution. 

The  Gospel  in  Russia 

It  would  be  interesting  to  trace  from  earliest  times  the  progress 
of  the  Gospel  in  Russia.  In  ancient  times  the  Russian  plains  were 
for  the  most  part  viewed  as  outside  the  known  world.  Tradition 
holds    that    the    Apostle   Andrew    carried   the    Gospel    into    what   was 


Rev.  Robert  M.  Russell  *  155 

afterwards  the  territory  of  the  Russian  Empire.  Russian  historians 
date  the  foundation  of  the  empire  in  the  year  862,  A.  D.  Prior  to  that 
time,  the  organization  of  the  peoples  inhabiting  Russian  territory 
was  tribal,  and  there  was  among  them  no  capacity  for  unified  effort, 
and  no  power  to  moderate  their  tribal  conflict.  There  were  centers 
like  Novgorod  and  Kiev,  but  there  was  no  national  unity.  About  the 
middle  of  the  ninth  century  a  Scandinavian  leader,  Ruric  by  name, 
came  to  Novgorod  with  a  band  of  war-like  followers  in  response  to  an 
invitation  to  establish  order  and  unity.  The  foundations  of  the  em- 
pire were  thus  laid.  Igor,  the  son  of  Ruric,  was  incapable  of  exer- 
cising kingly  power,  so  from  879  to  912  A.  D.  a  chieftain  named  Oleg 
reigned  as  Regent.  Igor  (912-945)  was  succeeded  by  his  widow,  Olga 
(945-957),  and  here  again  appears  the  importance  of  woman  in  the 
religious  history  of  the  world.  Olga  was  baptized  in  955  by  the 
Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  thus  opening  the  door  for  the  dominion 
of  the  Greek  Church  in  Russia.  Olga  abdicated  the  throne  in  favor  of 
her  son,  Sviatoslaff  (957-972),  a  war-like  pagan  who  was  treacherously 
murdered.  The  principality  was  then  divided  among  his  three  sons, 
and  the  quarrels  usual  in  such  family  dominion  followed,  continuing 
until  Vladimir  the  Great  (980-1015),  the  youngest  son,  became  the  sole 
ruler.  Vladimir,  by  successful  wars,  greatly  extended  the  boundaries 
of  Russia,  and  in  988  opened  the  way  for  the  further  extension  of  the 
Gospel  by  becoming  a  convert  to  Greek  Christianity.  History  makes  it 
manifest  that  Vladimir's  conversion  was  to  a  system  rather  than  to  a 
Saviour,  and  that  political  considerations  were  quite  as  prominent  in 
his  thought  as  spiritual.  It  is  recorded  that  representatives  of  Mo- 
hammedanism sought  his  allegiance,  but  when  the  king  learned  of 
the  edicts  of  that  religion  against  pork  and  wine  he  would  have  none 
of  it.  Leaders  of  the  Jews  also  strove  for  his  favorable  consideration, 
but  the  king  naively  inquired  how  it  came  that  if  the  Jews  were  the 
special  people  of  God  they  were  so  scattered  and  oppressed.  Investi- 
gators who  had  visited  the  churches  of  Constantinople  reported  on  the 
gorgeousness  of  the  Greek  worship,  and  through  this  the  king  was 
persuaded,  and  accepted  Greek  Christianity  for  himself  and  his  fol- 
lowers.    A  state  church  was  thus  introduced  permanently  in  Russia. 

Government  and  Worship 

In  government  the  Greek  Church  is  a  partiarchal  oligarchy  in  dis- 
tinction from  the  papal  monarchy  of  Rome.  The  episcopal  hierarchy 
is  retained,  the  papacy  rejected.  The  Vatican  decrees  of  1870  con- 
cerning the  infallibility  of  the  Pope,  have  intensified  the  separation 
between  the  east  and  west.  Centralization  is  unknown  in  the  east. 
The  Patriarchs  of  Constantinople,  Alexandria,  Antioch,  and  Jerusalem 


]56  •  The  Russian  Orthodox  Church 

are  equal  in  rights,  though  the  first  has  a  primacy  of  honor.*  The 
Czar  of  Russia,  when  in  power,  exercised  a  sort  of  general  protec- 
torate, and  was  regarded  as  a  rival  to  the  Pope  of  Rome,  but  had  no 
authority  in  matters  of  doctrine,  and  could  make  no  organic  changes. 
The  administration  of  the  churches,  as  developed  in  the  Byzantine 
Empire,  is  most  complicated,  and  involves,  besides  the  regular  clergy, 
an  army  of  higher  and  lower  ecclesiastical  officers,  from  the  first 
administrator  of  the  church  property,  the  superintendent  of  the 
sacristy,  the  chancellor,  or  keeper  of  ecclesiastical  archives,  down  to 
the  cleaners  of  lamps  and  the  bearers  of  the  images  of  the  saints. 
Many  of  these  officers  have  in  modern  days  either  ceased  or  retained 
only  a  nominal  existence. 

The  form  of  worship  in  the  Greek  Church  is  much  like  that  of  the 
Roman  Catholic,  with  the  celebration  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass 
as  the  central  feature,  and  with  an  equal  and  even  greater  neglect 
of  the  sermon.  The  form  and  order  of  worship  is  addressed  more 
to  the  senses  and  imagination  than  to  the  intellect  and  conscience. 
It  is,  as  Dr.  Schaff  says,  "Strongly  oriental,  unintelligibly  symbolical 
and  mystical,  and  excessively  ritualistic."  Continuing,  this  author 
says:  "The  Greeks  reject  organs,  musical  instruments,  and  sculpture, 
and  make  less  use  of  the  fine  arts  in  their  churches  than  the  Roman 
Catholic;  but  they  have  even  a  more  complicated  system  of  cere- 
monies, with  gorgeous  display,  semi-barbaric  pomp,  and  endless 
changes  of  sacerdotal  dress,  crossings,  gestures,  genuflexions,  prostra- 
tions, washings,  processions,  which  so  absorb  the  attention  of  the 
senses  that  there  is  little  room  for  intellectual  and  spiritual  worship." 
The  worship  of  saints,  relics,  flat  images,  and  the  cross  is  carried  as 
far,  or  even  farther  than  in  the  Roman  church.  Veneration  for  pictures 
of  the  Virgin  Mary  is  carried  to  the  utmost  extent.  The  holy  picture 
with  the  lamp  burning  before  it  is  found  and  worshiped  in  the  sacred 
corner  rooms,  in  the  street,  over  gate-ways,  in  offices,  taverns,  steamers, 
railway  and  telegraph  stations,  and  is  carried  in  the  knapsack  of  every 
soldier  as  an  emblem  of  instruction  and  an  aid  to  devotion.  It  is  to  the 
credit  of  the  Greek  Church  that  these  vernacular  languages  are  used 
in  worship,  the  Greek  in  Turkey  and  Greece,  the  Slavonic  in  Russia; 
but  so  complicated  is  the  system  of  worship,  and  so  multiplied  its 
forms  of  expression  that  both  intellectual  and  spiritual  growth  are 
hindered. 


'Since  the  revolution  of  Marcli,  1017,  the  office  of  Patriarch  of  Russia, 
which  was  abolished  at  the  beg-inning:  of  the  eigrhteonth  century  by  Czar 
Peter,  has  been  restored;  and  recently  Tycho,  the  former  Archbishop  of 
the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  in  America,  has  been  elected  Patriarch 
of  Russia. — TiiK  EniTon. 


Rev.  Robert  M.  Russell  157 

Religious  Life  in  Russia 

As  to  practical  Christian  living,  it  has  the  same  general  features  in 
the  Greek  Church  as  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  morality  of 
Russia  parallels  in  many  ways  the  morality  of  countries  tvhere 
the  Church  of  Rome  is  supreme.  The  mass  of  the  people  are  contented 
with  an  ordinary  morality,  while  the  monks  are  supposed  to  aim  at 
higher  degrees  of  piety.  The  monastic  system,  which  originated  in 
the  east  (in  Egypt),  and  continues  to  this  day,  has  not  developed  into 
great  monastic  orders  as  in  the  western  or  Roman  Church.  The  people 
are  generally  ignorant  of  the  deeper  truths  of  the  Gospel.  The  circula- 
tion of  the  Scriptures  among  the  people  is  not  encouraged,  although 
the  Greek  Church  has  never  prohibited  the  reading  of  the  Bible  in  the 
common  tongue  to  the  people.  Indeed  Alexander  I,  by  a  decree  Of 
January  14,  1813,  allowed  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  to 
establish  a  branch  at  St.  Petersburg.  It  is  recorded  that  through  the 
labors  of  this  society  nearly  five  hundred  thousand  copies  of  the  New 
Testament  and  Psalms  were  scattered  in  thirty-two  languages  all  over 
the  empire,  and  read  with  great  avidity.  A  traveler  wrote,  "Except 
in  New  England  and  in  Scotland,  no  people  in  the  world,  so  far  as 
they  can  read  at  all,  are  greater  Bible  readers  than  the  Russians." 
A  priest  told  this  traveler,  "Love  for  the  Bible  and  love  for  Russia  go 
with  us  hand  in  hand.  A  patriotic  government  gives  us  the  Bible;  a 
monastic  government  takes  it  away."  As  the  result  of  the  policy  of 
Alexander  I,  it  could  be  said  that  the  Bible  drove  the  Jesuits  from 
Russia,  who  indeed  opposed  it  with  all  their  might.  But  in  1825, 
Nicholas,  under  the  influence  of  the  monks  or  black  clergy,  placed  the 
Bible  under  ban,  and  replaced  it  by  an  official  book  of  the  saints. 
Alexander  II,  the  emancipator  of  the  serfs,  also  emancipated  the 
Bible,  and  restored  in  part  the  liberty  of  the  Bible  Society,  but  re- 
stricted it  to  the  Protestant  population.  The  printing  and  circulating 
of  the  Bible  in  the  Russian  language,  and  within  the  Orthodox  Church, 
has  been  under  the  exclusive  control  of  the  Holy  Synod  of  St.  Peters- 
burg. The  result  of  distributing  the  Bible  has,  however,  been  rela- 
tively small  since  the  larger  part  of  Russia's  population  can  neither 
read  nor  write.  Under  such  conditions  morality  must  be  low,  and  as 
far  from  a  true  obedience  to  God  in  social  and  civil  life  as  is  the 
spectacular  worship  of  the  churches  from  spiritual  worship. 

Modem  Need  and  Opportunity 

A  state  church  is  always  likely  to  be  a  persecuting  church.  When 
linked  to  the  throne,  the  church  is  always  used  to  enhance  the  power 
of  political  government.  This  has  been  signally  true  of  Russia.  The 
Greek  Church  has  been  trained  to  the  support  of  the  oligarchy.     By 


158  Tke  Russian  Orthodox  Church 

civil  enactment,  no  member  of  the  Greek  Church  was  permitted  to 
change  his  allegiance  from  that  body.  The  church  thus  becomes,  not 
the  nourisher,  but  the  stifler  of  religious  thought  and  liberty.  With 
the  monarchy  overthrown,  and  the  power  of  the  Greek  Church,  as  a 
political  system,  broken,  there  is  the  widest  opportunity  for  leading 
Russia's  vast  population  to  Jesus  Christ.  America's  effort  for  Russia 
should  not  be  to  take  our  various  churches  or  denominations  into 
Russia,  but  to  take  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  to  make  them  ac- 
quainted with  a  personal  Saviour.  Russia  must  be  taught  to  think 
and  to  act.  The  carrying  of  the  Bible  to  Russia,  and  its  interpreta- 
tion to  Russia's  masses,  through  the  living  evangelists  and  printed 
page  is  the  need  of  the  hour.  Of  the  Bible,  Garibaldi  said,  "This  is 
the  cannon  that  will  make  Italy  free."  Horace  Greeley  wrote,  "It  is 
impossible  to  mentally  or  socially  enslave  a  Bible-reading  people.  The 
principles  of  the  Bible  are  the  groundwork  of  human  freedom."  Wil- 
liam H.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State  under  President  Lincoln,  wrote, 
"The  whole  hope  of  human  progress  is  suspended  on  the  ever  grow- 
ing influence  of  the  Bible."  In  his  centennial  letter  to  the  American 
Sabbath-schools,  President  Grant  wrote,  "To  the  influence  of  the  Bible 
we  are  indebted  for  all  the  progress  made  in  true  civilization,"  while 
Froude,  in  his  essay  on  Calvinism  says,  "All  that  we  call  modern 
civilization,  in  the  sense  that  deserves  the  name,  is  the  visible  expres- 
sion of  the  transforming  power  of  the  gospel." 

America's  Mission 

America's  highest  mission  to  Russia  is  to  carry  to  her  that  which 
has  been  the  source  of  her  own  best  life.  Germany  has  lost  her  soul, 
and  has  sunk  into  an  unspeakable  degradation  because,  in  the  name 
of  a  godless  scholarship,  she  repudiated  the  Bible  as  the  Word  of 
God,  the  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  Russia  will  find  her  soul,  and  be 
redeemed  in  the  light  of  that  blessed  Book  through  whose  truth 
American  liberties  have  had  their  origin  and  support. 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  RUSSIA 

By  REV.  N.  F.  HOIJER 

AFTER  I  was  ordained  in  Sweden  I  was  sent  to  Russia,  not  to 
form  there  a  Swedish  church,  but  to  help  the  Russian  people 
to  form  a  Russian  Christian  church.  I  came  to  Cronstadt,  a 
naval  base  and  the  Baltic  port  of  Petrograd.  All  evangelical  propa- 
ganda was  entirely  forbidden  in  the  empire. 

I  was  allowed  to  hold  meetings  only  on  board  the  ships  in  the 
harbor,  and  in  the  Swedish  and  Esthonian  Church.  As  soon  as  God 
crowned  my  words  with  success  and  signs  of  revival  were  seen,  there 
arose  a  persecution.  We  were  then  forbidden  to  have  light  on  the 
ships  at  night,  but  the  desire  among  the  people  to  listen  to  God's  Word 
was  awakened,  so  I  would  repeat  my  text  and  shout  my  message  in 
the  darkness,  without  seeing  my  audience. 

First  at  Cronstadt 

A  Russian  priest,  John  of  Cronstadt,  was  at  that  time  in  the  prime 
of  his  manhood.  He  had  greater  influence  in  the  state  church  than 
the  Czar  himself.  His  large  cathedral  was  packed  with  people  who 
crowded  each  other  in  order  to  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment,  and 
when  he  traveled  the  police  had  to  clear  his  way  that  he  should  not 
be  trodden  down  by  the  people.  Through  him  the  people  were  brought 
to  a  deep  knowledge  of  sin.  I  read  the  Gospel  and  prayed  to  God  for 
some  of  them  and  they  began  to  witness  to  other  people  that  they  had 
received  forgiveness  of  their  sins. 

Now  my  days  in  Cronstadt  were  numbered.  My  case  was  brought 
before  the  authorities  in  Petrograd;  an  order  was  issued  to  the  gov- 
ernor of  Cronstadt  to  have  me  arrested  and  my  work  stopped.  In  the 
Holy  Scriptures  I  read :  "When  they  persecute  you  in  this  city,  flee  ye 
into  another."  I  wrote  to  my  society  that  another  missionary  ought 
at  once  to  be  sent  to  Cronstadt  to  continue  my  work. 

It  was  late  in  the  fall.  A  severe  winter  set  in.  The  gulf  between 
the  island  of  Cronstadt  and  the  mainland  was  covered  with  floating  ice 
and  there  was  no  possibility  of  crossing  it.  But  in  a  few  hours  the 
ice  became  one  solid  mass  and  it  was  possible  to  walk  over  it.  Some 
of  the  brethren  followed  me  to  the  seashore.  They  prayed  for  me.  The 
ice  was  rather  weak,  but  still  the  bridge  that  God  had  made  held  and 
I  crossed  over  safely  to  Oranienbaum,  and  from  there  I  went  to 
Petrograd. 

The   authorities   were   now  hunting  me  and  they  were  not  aware 

159 


160  Forty  Years  in  Russia 

that  the  other  man  was  continuing  my  work  in  Cronstadt,  but  as  soon 
as  they  were  aware  of  his  presence,  he  too  had  to  flee;  then  the  third 
missionary  was  there  to  take  his  place.  Even  he  had,  in  his  turn,  to 
flee  and  a  fourth  was  sent  there.  After  eighteen  years  of  work  there 
was  established  a  congregation  of  God's  people  in  Cronstadt,  and  they 
are  continuing  the  mission  work  there  to  this  day. 

With  Lord  Kadstock  at  Petrograd 

In  Petrograd  a  converted  Roman  Catholic  priest  preached  the  Gospel 
in  the  reign  of  Alexander  I.  His  name  was  John  Gossner.  The 
Emperor  himself  listened  to  him  and  loved  him.  Several  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  noble  families  of  Russia  were  converted  to  Christ  through 
this  man.  From  that  time  there  always  have  been  some  members  of 
the  nobility  who  have  taken  their  stand  for  God.  Through  these  men 
the  way  was  prepared  in  the  palaces  of  Petrograd  for  the  truth  of  the 
Gospel  when  Lord  Radstock  came  to  the  capital  of  the  empire  and 
preached  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  I  had  the  privilege  to  take  part  in  that 
movement.  I  held  meetings  in  private  houses.  Very  soon  the  police 
came  over  and  took  away  our  song  books  and  Bibles  and  threatened  us 
with  imprisonment  if  we  continued  our  meetings. 

My  beloved  brother.  Prof.  M.  A.  de  Sherbinin,  was  then  a  young 
student  in  the  University  of  Petrograd.  His  family  at  the  time  were 
millionaires,  but  still  better,  he  was  even  then  a  believer  in  Christ. 
He  said:  "Let  us  pray  that  God  will  give  us  a  large  hall,  prepared 
for  meetings,  where  we  can  preach  the  Gospel."  When  we  rose  from 
prayer  he  said:  "Now  we  will  get  that  hall."  I  thought  to  myself: 
"I  know  that  God  is  Almighty,  but  how  he  can  give  us  now  a  hall 
'prepared'  for  our  meetings  I  cannot  understand." 

Two  weeks  after  I  preached  in  a  large  hall  prepared  for  meetings. 
It  appeared  that  permission  had  been  obtained  for  German  Christians 
to  hold  their  meetings  and  to  worship  in  a  large  hall.  This  permis- 
sion had  been  obtained  from  the  government  by  Prince  Bismarck, 
when  he  was  Prussian  Ambassador  in  Petrograd.  The  Swedes  then 
preached  the  Gospel  in  that  hall  for  several  years  following. 

Another  Ebenezer 

We  thought  then  if  God  had  helped  the  Germans  to  get  that  hall 
for  worship,  He  could  certainly  help  us  to  obtain  the  right  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  even  if  we  had  not  the  help  of  Bismarck  on  our  side.  We 
wrote  a  petition  to  the  government  after  having  prayed  to  God.  Our 
petition  came  into  the  hands  of  a  high  official.  He  had  been  touched 
by  the  Gospel.  It  seems  to  me  to  this  day  a  miracle  that  we  could 
get  the  right  to  preach  the  Gospel  freely  at  that  time  in  Petrograd. 


1 


Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  161 

Now  we  had  wind  in  our  sails  and  friends  in  multitudes,  because 
it  went  well  with  us.  But,  you  know,  when  things  are  not  running 
smoothly  then  your  many  friends  desert  you  and  they  are  gone.  The 
British  and  American  Church,  in  which  the  American  Ambassador 
worshiped,  was  opened  to  us.  The  Russian  noblemen  opened  their 
houses  for  us.  We  rented  also  another  hall  and  we  could  preach  the 
Gospel  unmolested  both  by  day  and  night.  The  Swedish  ambassador 
was  a  diplomat  and  feared  that  a  movement  that  had  grown  to  such 
proportions  would  bring  upon  him  trouble.  He  feared  also  for  my 
liberty.  I  was  asked  by  my  government  to  return  to  Sweden.  I  went 
and  told  my  friends  there  of  the  work  of  God  in  Russia  and  the 
friends  were  greatly  cheered. 

Reinforcements  from  Sweden 

Very  soon  I  returned  to  Russia  and  I  had  seven  other  missionaries 
with  me,  and  a  short  time  after  that  there  were  altogether  seventeen 
Swedish  missionaries  in  Russia.  Some  of  them  went  to  Archangel, 
some  went  to  the  Ural  Mountains,  and  some  continued  the  work  in 
Petrograd.  Rev.  Adolph  Lydell  and  myself  went  to  the  Caucasus.  It 
was  impossible  at  that  time  that  such  a  revival  as  was  witnessed  at 
Petrograd  could  continue  without  being  met  by  persecution.  Our 
right  to  preach  the  Gospel  was  soon  taken  away  from  us.  The  houses 
of  the  nobility  were  closely  watched,  and  even  the  American  Church 
was  closed  to  us.  The  Swedish  missionaries  had  to  flee.  Some  of 
them  were  arrested  and  taken  to  prison. 

There  was  much  faith  in  the  hearts  of  our  Swedish  friends  at  that 
time.  When  the  frontier  of  Russia  from  the  Swedish  side  was  closed 
to  missionaries,  yet  they  could  go  over  the  ocean,  through  the  United 
States,  and  penetrate  through  Alaska  to  eastern  Siberia  through  the 
snow-bound  Arctic  region  to  preach  the  Gospel  among  the  heathen 
there. 

I  got  orders  from  my  society  to  return  from  the  Caucasus  to  the 
capital  of  Russia;  there  was  there  a  large  congregation  of  believers, 
which  had  no  legal  right  to  exist.  I  had  no  legal  right  to  exist.  We 
had  no  place  for  meetings.  Some  of  my  old  friends  were  now  fearful 
for  my  safety  and  asked  me  not  to  visit  them,  because  I  was  already 
watched  by  the  police.  It  was  then  I  most  needed  friends,  but  they 
were  nearly  all  gone.  I  walked  around  the  capital,  looked  at  the  great 
cathedrals,  palaces  and  structures.  Could  not  there  be  a  place  for 
God's  people  and  for  His  Gospel.  I  thought  how  wonderfully  God 
had  helped  in  the  beginning  of  the  work.  There  was  a  large  apart- 
ment block  covering  a  space  between  three  streets  and  facing  a  church. 


162  Forty  Years  in  Russia 

Overcoming  Obstacles 

On  the  second  floor  of  that  block  there  was  a  club,  on  the  third  floor, 
a  flat  for  rent.  I  began  to  watch  the  police  force,  who  were  in  charge 
of  that  street,  and  who  kept  a  watchful  eye  over  the  club.  I  thought, 
immediately,  that  the  apartment  on  the  third  floor  would  be  a  good 
place  to  rent,  if  we  had  our  meetings  at  hours,  when  the  people  went 
to  their  club.  The  police  in  the  street  thought  that  all  the  people 
which  went  up  that  stairway  went  to  the  club.  However,  our  friends 
went  one  story  higher  and  could  hold  their  meetings  undisturbed. 

Several  of  the  educated  brethren  were  already  trained  in  preaching 
the  Gospel  and  were  now  to  lead  the  meetings.  From  this  hour  the 
congregation  of  believers  held  their  meetings  in  my  home.  All  the 
believers  were  one  in  Christ.  Many  of  them  could  not  understand 
that  it  could  ever  be  otherwise.  Many  times  during  the  meetings  I 
watched  the  police  to  warn  my  friends.  The  policeman  did  not  suspect 
that  there  were  meetings  going  on  in  my  home,  while  I  was  walking 
before  his  eyes  in  the  street.  The  place  was  the  best  we  could  find 
for  our  purpose,  as  there  were  entrances  from  three  different  streets 
and  by  several  ways  that  gave  access  to  our  flat. 

Prayer   for   Unity 

The  heavy  cloud  of  persecutions  accumulated  more  and  more.  The 
believers  among  the  noblemen  saw  that  it  was  necessary  to  prepare 
the  people  for  what  was  coming.  They  arranged  a  conference  for 
that  purpose.  In  the  call  that  was  issued  to  this  conference  it  was 
said:  "Remember,  brethren,  that  Christ  died  that  'He  should  gather 
together  in  one  the  children  of  God  that  were  scattered  abroad'  and 
present  them  as  one  flock  with  one  Shepherd  (John  11:52).  Yea,  may 
the  Lord  gather  us  around  Him  to  teach  us  to  keep  the  bond  of  unity 
and  peace." 

I  would  especially  ask  you  to  mark  the  desire  and  prayers  for  unity 
expressed  by  these  pioneers  of  Christian  work  in  Russia.  They  all  gave 
up  their  freedom,  their  homes  for  Christ  and  His  work. 

This  conference  ended  in  the  arrest  of  some  of  the  deputies,  the 
deportation  of  others  and  the  flight  of  still  others.  In  a  few  years 
the  leaders  of  the  movement  were  all  exiled. 

The  greatest  difficulty  was  that  for  several  years  then  we  had  no 
place  where  we  could  gather  for  worship  and  instruction.  My  home 
was  strictly  watched,  my  nerves  were  overworked.  I  could  not  sleep. 
One  night  I  sat  and  wrote  with  my  pencil  a  petition  to  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior  for  the  right  to  establish  a  temperance  society.  The 
statutes    were    so   written    that    they    gave    room    for    an    evangelical 


Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  163 

mission  acting  under  their  protection.  My  friend,  Prof,  de  Sherbinin, 
helped  me  to  put  the  petition  in  good  Russian.  Some  one  undertook 
the  task  of  submitting  it  to  the  Minister  of  the  Interior.  The  Min- 
ister did  not  know  that  I  had  a  hand  in  it.  He  was  very  favorable  to 
the  matter,  but  he  said  the  paragraphs  were  written  more  according 
to  the  foreign  customs  than  to  suit  the  Russian  ways.  I  went  to  a 
lawyer  asking  him  to  write  the  paragraphs  so  as  to  suit  the  Russian 
officials,  but  so  that  all  the  contents  of  my  twelve  paragraphs  should 
be  covered  in  his  text.  He  made  more  than  thirty  paragraphs,  but  in 
such  a  way  that  you  would  have  to  read  that  paper  very  carefully  to 
find  what  was  not  included  in  it.  The  Minister  examined  the  project 
carefully  and  was  satisfied. 

Fleeing  to  Odessa 

The  hand  of  the  government  was  weighing  so  heavily  on  me  that  I 
had  to  flee  again.  I  went  now  to  Odessa  on  the  Black  Sea.  The  people 
in  Petrograd  who  took  part  in  the  new  mode  of  mission  work  were 
closely  watched  by  the  police.  They  wrote  to  me  saying  that  I  had 
put  them  into  a  great  plight  and  that  they  would  never  take  any  more 
steps  for  establishing  a  temperance  society.  After  half  a  year  the 
government  wrote  them:  "The  right  to  establish  the  Society  is  granted 
to  you;  the  statutes  you  submitted  to  us  have  been  enacted  into  laws 
and  now  we  command  you  to  establish  that  Society."  My  friends  then 
had  to  establish  their  temperance  society  by  order  of  the  government. 
But  they  were  not  remembering  me  in  a  friendly  way  for  they 
thought  that  I  had  brought  upon  them  this  hardship. 

In  Odessa  I  found  several  channels  through  which  God  had  poured 
the  living  water  on  the  parched  ground  of  the  Russian  mission  field. 
I  will  first  mention  the  Molokan  movement.  There  are  many  tokens 
which  tell  us  that  the  Molokan  movement  came  originally  from  the 
Quaker  teaching.  Therefore  they  have  been  sometimes  called  Russian 
Quakers.  English  Friends  must  have  been  preaching  the  Gospel  in 
Russian  long  before  Alexander  I,  because  in  a  speech  before  a  Molokan 
commission  he  said  to  his  ministers  among  other  things:  "These 
people  have  suffered  continual  persecutions,  all  kinds  of  sufferings  and 
afilictions  only  for  the  sake  of  God's  Word.  My  grandmother  Catherine 
— may  she  rest  in  peace — punished  them  by  banishment  to  Siberia,  to 
Archangel  and  to  Cholmogori  and  filled  the  prisons  with  them.  Even 
in  Tambov  officials  fiogged  two  of  them  to  death.  But  the  number 
of  the  persecuted  did  not  decrease,  but  rather  increased."  This 
humane  monarch  gave  the  -Molokans  complete  liberty  in  matters  of 
religion. 

When  I  came  to  Odessa  I  was  told  that  there  were  three  hundred 
thousand  of  these  people  spread  over  Russia.     Another  group  similar 


164  Forty  Years  in  Russia 

to  the  Quakers  are  the  so-called  Doukhobors.  They  are  not  so  numer- 
ous. Some  of  them  are  in  Canada.  These  bodies  of  Protestants  have 
been  the  material  from  which  several  Protestant  movements  from 
other  lands  have  formed  their  small  congregations  in  the  South  of 
Russia  and  in  the  Caucasus.  The  Molokans  have  kept  very  strongly 
to  the  letter  of  the  Holy  Scripture.  They  read  the  Holy  Bible  in  their 
meetings  chapter  after  chapter.  They  sing  the  words  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  and  they  pray  in  the  language  of  Holy  Scriptures;  so 
afraid  were  they  of  all  ceremonies  by  which  they  had  been  bound 
and  fettered  in  the  state  church.  But  that  attitude  could  not  save 
them  from  being  slaves  to  forms  and  ceremonies.  They  could  bow 
for  hours  on  their  knees  and  pray  and  sing  and  read. 

Among   the   Molokans 

In  the  Molokan  movement  long  before  I  went  there,  a  revival  was 
brought  about  by  a  Scotchman  named  William  Melville  (known  among 
the  Russians  as  Vassile  Vassiliyevitch).  He  belonged  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  a  real  Puritan  from  Scotland.  He  was  living  in  Odessa 
when  I  came  there  and  was  about  eighty  years  old.  He  showed  me 
much  Christian  love  and  introduced  me  to  all  the  people  in  the  city 
who  had  his  confidence.  Through  him  there  arose  congregations 
which  had  water  baptism,  a  sacrament  which  the  other  Molokans  re- 
jected. They  were  all  named  Presbyterian  congregations.  Sometime 
ago  these  churches  numbered  twenty-six. 

Another  movement  among  the  Molokans  originated  from  the  Ger- 
man Mennonite  settlement  of  South  Russia  and  was  characterized  by 
its  Baptist  teaching.  These  people  were  known  under  the  name  of 
Baptists.  They  had  a  very  strong  leader  in  Dey  Mazayeff  from  Rostof , 
a  former  Molokan.  You  may  also  have  heard  about  the  Stundists.  I 
came  in  touch  with  real  Stundists  in  Odessa.  This  name  is  derived 
from  the  German  word  Gebet-stunde  (prayer-meeting)  and  came  from 
a  Lutheran  pastor  Bonakaempfer  in  Bessarabia.  He  was  a  real  evangel- 
ist. There  came  up  Gebet-stunde,  or  prayer-meetings,  through  his 
work.     Those  who  took  part  in  these  meetings  were  called  Stundists. 

The  Stundists 

The  movement  spread  over  Russia.  Some  people  think  that  the  Bap- 
tists were  the  real  Russian  Stundists,  but  this  is  not  so.  The  govern- 
ment never  gave  that  name  to  a  Baptist  if  he  was  merely  a  Baptist 
and  never  did  anything  to  bring  people  to  God,  but  if  a  Baptist  was 
successful  in  bringing  souls  to  God  then  the  government  branded  him 
by  the  name  of  Stundist.  If  he  would  claim  that  he  belonged  to  the 
Baptist  body,  the  government  officials  would  still  say:      "You  are  a 


Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  165 

Baptist-stundist."  Likewise  they  never  spoke  of  a  Lutheran  as  a 
Stundist,  if  he  was  merely  a  Lutheran,  but  if  he  did  anything  to 
bring  a  man  into  vital  relation  with  God,  the  government  said:  "You 
are  a  Stundist."  If  he  were  to  answer:  "I  am  a  Lutheran,"  the  gov- 
ernment would  say:  "Yes,  but  you  are  a  Lutheran-stundist."  At  the 
time  I  was  in  Odessa,  a  congregation  of  Stundists  came  up.  I  wit- 
nessed also  a  Stundist  trial  before  the  high  court,  and  I  have  never 
seen  a  better  illustration  of  the  spirit  of  the  first  Christians  or  Apos- 
tles than  when  these  men  stood  before  the  court  of  justice.  The 
court-house  was  full  of  lawyers,  priests  and  the  representatives  of 
different  creeds.  The  jury  was  composed  of  Russians,  Roman  Catho- 
lics, Protestants,  Jews  and  even  Mohammedans.  The  preacher  was 
standing  before  them  like  an  Apostle,  giving  his  witness  in  clear, 
simple  sentences.  He  spoke  so  that  the  judge  was  afraid  that  he 
would  make  converts  and  they  had  to  clear  the  house  of  the  people 
not  belonging  to  the  jury.  The  result  of  the  trial  was  that  the  man 
was  condemned  to  go  to  Siberia. 

From  Odessa  to  Tiflis 

From  Odessa  I  went  to  Tiflis,  the  principal  city  of  the  Caucasus. 
There  I  came  in  touch  with  the  evangelical  movement  which  had  come 
up  through  the  Basle  missionaries  under  the  reign  of  Alexander  I. 
The  well  known  missionary,  Abraham  Amirkhaniantz,  was  living 
then.  He  was  a  convert  of  that  mission,  and  a  scholar.  He  spoke 
fourteen  languages  and  could  read  and  write  twenty.  His  missionary 
record  was  remarkable.  He  translated  the  Bible  into  the  Ararat  dia- 
lect of  the  Armenian  language.  He  also  translated  the  Bible  into  the 
Aderbeyjan  dialect  of  the  Tartar  language,  he  revised  a  translation 
of  the  New  Testament  in  another  language  of  Central  Asia.  He  also 
committed  parts  of  the  Bible  into  the  Kurdish  language.  He  was  a 
giant  in  the  army  of  mission  workers.  No  missionary  was  better 
versed  in  the  Koran  than  he,  which  enabled  him  to  meet  the  argu- 
ments of  the  learned  Mullahs  in  his  writings,  so  that  even  the  Moslems 
looked  up  to  him  as  a  master. 

Among  the  believers  in  Tiflis  there  was  indeed  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Some  of  them  believed  in  the  baptism  of  infants,  and 
some  believed  only  in  the  baptism  of  adults.  The  Baptist  doctrine 
was  introduced  among  them  through  a  man  by  the  name  of  Kahlweit. 
Through  him  a  young  man,  Basel  Pavlof,  was  converted  to  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Baptists  and  sent  to  a  Baptist  seminary  in  Germany  and 
became  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Baptist  movement  in  Russia.  Amir- 
khaniantz believed  in  infant  baptism.  Then  some  members  of  the  con- 
gregation in  Tiflis  thought  that  some  one  of  them  must  be  right  and 


166  Forty  Years  in  Rvssia 

they  asked  them  to  have  a  public  discussion  of  their  views  on  the  ques- 
tion  of  baptism  based  on  the  teachings  of  the  Bible. 

Denominational  Differences 

I  have  heard  many  expositions  on  baptism  but  I  have  never  heard 
a  more  thorough  one.  Nevertheless  when  they  separated  they  felt 
that  each  person  was  more  estranged  from  the  other  than  they  were 
before  the  discussion  began.  These  discussions  ended  often  after 
midnight.  Both  of  them,  without  being  aware  of  it,  were  reported  in 
Petrograd  as  those  dangerous  Stundists.  One  night  they  came  home, 
were  arrested  and  brought  to  prison,  Pavlof  first  and  Amirkhaniantz 
next.  When  the  latter  came  to  prison  he  saw  a  man  praying  with 
his  face  turned  to  the  wall.  He  turned  round  to  see  who  that  man 
was.  Lo,  it  was  Pavlof.  And  Pavlof  looked  up  and  saw  the  face  of 
Amirkhaniantz.  They  fell  into  each  other's  arms,  they  both  wept  and 
then  they  knelt  and  prayed  to  God  and  now  not  a  word  on  baptism  was 
spoken.  They  combined  their  efforts  in  preaching  to  the  fellow- 
prisoners  and  a  revival  resulted.  Both  were  exiled  and  all  those  who 
had  been  the  Stundist  leaders  in  the  Caucasus,  up  to  this  time>  were 
compelled  to  go  into  exile. 

I  began  to  gather  together  scattered  congregations.  God  had  His 
hand  upon  the  work  and  soon  we  had  not  only  congregations  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Caucasus,  but  there  arose  a  society  called  the 
Evangelical  Oriental  Covenant.  The  persecution  was  very  bitter.  I 
was  hunted  like  a  deer.  Now  God  gave  me  a  new  plan  that  was  some- 
what strategic,  viz.,  that  of  planting  mission  stations  across  the  boun- 
dary outside  of  Russia,  beginning  from  the  Balkan  States,  Turkey, 
Persia,  Afghanistan,  Bohemia,  East  Turkomania,  Mongolia,  Man- 
churia and  ending  with  Korea.  This  with  the  aim  of  giving  the  perse- 
cuted missionaries  places  like  the  "cities  of  refuge"  across  the  boun- 
dary line  in  those  countries  in  case  they  should  have  to  flee  for  their 
safety.  God  blessed  us  in  such  way  that  we  had  such  cities  of  refuge 
all  the  way  to  Kashgar  in  Central  Asia. 

Crosses  the  Caspian 

When  first  I  went  to  Kashgar  I  had  my  mission  board  against  my 
project.  All  scientific  authorities  consulted  maintained  that  it  was 
impossible  to  reach  my  aim  with  the  resources  I  had  at  my  disposal. 

In  company  with  several  Asiatic  converts  I  traveled  over  the  Cas- 
pian Sea  by  the  borders  of  Afghanistan  through  Transcaspian  lands, 
Merv,    Bokliara,    West    Turkomania    through    Fergana,    the    Kirgheez 


Rev.  N.  F.  Boijer  167 

mountains  and  reached  Kashgar  in  Central  Asia.  I  had  to  go  in  spite 
of  the  Russian  government  and  in  spite  of  the  Chinese  government, 
because  they  had  agreed  that  no  European  could  travel  that  way  with- 
out special  permission  from  their  governments,  and  I  could  in  no  way 
get  such  permission.  I  left  a  converted  Turkish  mullah  in  Kashgar 
and  I  returned  to  the  Caucasus.  God  blessed  my  brother  in  Central 
Asia;  he  translated  the  New  Testament  into  the  language  of  the  Sarts. 
It  is  a  language  which  has  had  the  same  influence  over  the  population 
of  Central  Asia  that  the  classic  German  has  had  on  the  different 
branches  of  the  Germanic  race.  As  far  as  one  can  see,  never  had  the 
truth  of  the  Gospel  been  preached  there  before.* 

From  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  Sea  eastward,  I  traveled  among 
many  branches  of  tribes  and  peoples  who  never  had  the  Gospel 
preached  to  them.  In  Bokhara  there  are  thousands  of  Jews  who  never 
knew  the  books  of  the  Talmud. 

Missionaries   at  Kashgar 

Prom  the  beginning  of  the  mission  work  in  Kashgar  there  have  been 
important  developments.  There  are  more  than  twenty  missionaries 
in  that  field.  Among  them  several  medical  men.  We  have  built 
stations  and  hospitals,  but  to  this  day,  they  have  not  yet  come  in  con- 
tact with  any  missionaries  of  those  societies  which  have  penetrated 
into  China  from  the  sea  coast.  Some  of  them  have  been  honored  both 
by  the  Chinese  and  the  Russian  emperors.  One  of  them  has  received 
a  standard  to  be  carried  before  him  on  which  it  is  written:  "The  best 
Doctor  in  China."  The  Russian  emperor  has  given  one  missionary  a 
gold  box  set  with  diamonds  with  his  initials. 

In  speaking  of  this,  I  am  reminded  of  a  story  of  the  two  Swedish 
poets  Runeberg  and  Topelius,     Both  of  them  were  living  in  Finland. 

*  We  would  quote  regarding-  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer's  pioneer  journey 
through  Central  Asia  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  Paul  Waldenstrom,  a 
Swedish  divine,  now  dead,  who  in  his  time  was  looked  upon  as  Sweden's 
most  popular  speaker.  Paul  Waldenstrom  in  a  letter  dated  Stockholm, 
June  8th,  1893,  to  the  editor  of  the  Mission  Friend,  in  Chicago,  writes  these 
lines  which  we   give   in   English   translation: 

"As  the  readers  of  the  Mission  Friend  probably  know.  Rev.  Hoijer,  one 
year  ago,  made  a  very  daring  and  exceedingly  dangerous  journey  through 
Central  Asia  to  the  west  of  China,  to  find  out  if  it  were  possible  to 
start  a  mission  there.  He  succeeded  in  this  attempt  and  found,  also, 
that  the  conditions  there  were  very  favorable  for  establishing  a  mis- 
sion. Never  had  there  been  any  Christian  mission  there.  Hoijer  left  a 
missionary  in  charge  of  the  station  and  this  man  wrote  the  most  thrill- 
ing appeal,  saying  it  was  needed  to  send  many  more  missionaries. 
Hoijer's  expedition  has  evoked  a  great  interest  in  the  missionary  world. 
Foreign  missionary  boards  have  written  to  us  and  have  expressed  that 
they  were  greatly  marvelling  that  it  was  possible  to  achieve  such  a 
thing,  and  a  president  of  a  missionary  board  in  Germany  has  come  to 
our  annual  conference  and  mentioned  in  his  letter  that  he  was  coming 
to  see  the  missionary  society  whose  missionaries  have  been  successful 
in   achieving   this." — The  Editor. 


168  Forty  Years  in  Russia 

The  emperor  greatly  admired  the  poetry  of  Runeberg,  as  that  poet 
wrote  something  complimentary  to  the  Russians,  while  Topelius  wrote 
some  bitter  truths  about  them,  which  were  not  pleasant  to  the  em- 
peror's taste.  On  one  of  his  visits  the  emperor  gave  Runeberg  a  gold 
snuff  box,  but  Topelius  was  left  without  a  present,  as  the  emperor 
took  no  notice  of  him.  After  a  while  Runeberg  asked  Topelius  how  he 
liked  the  emperor's  visit.  Topelius  answered:  "You  got  the  gold  box, 
but  I  got  the  snuff."  This  story  properly  illustrates  my  own  expe- 
rience. My  fellow-missionary  got  the  imperial  gold  box,  and  I,  more 
than  once,  got  only  the  snuff. 


GREETINGS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BIBLE 
SOCIETY  AND  OPEN  CONFERENCE 

DR.    S.    H.   KIRKBRIDE 

YOU  know  there  are  just  two  means  of  evangelization.  The 
evangel  may  be  given  by  a  man,  or  it  may  come  through  the 
message  of  a  book.  When  the  Roman  Catholics  want  to  evan- 
gelize they  send  a  man  and  after  him  another  man,  and  after  these 
two,  other  men.  But  when  Protestants  want  to  do  any  evangelizing, 
they  send  out  a  man  and  put  in  the  hand  of  the  man  a  book.  It  would 
be  appropriate  this  afternoon  to  speak  about  the  power  of  the  preached 
Word,  but  I  want  to  emphasize  the  power  of  the  written  Word.  I 
don't  think  that  the  Christian  church  needs  any  exhortation  to  have 
faith  in  the  power  of  preaching.  We  believe  that  if  we  can  send  out 
men  filled  with  the  Spirit  to  preach  Jesus  Christ,  men  will  come  to 
know  Jesus  as  their  Saviour.  The  church  believes  that,  but  I  do  not 
think  the  Christian  church  believes,  as  it  ought  to,  in  the  power  of 
the  written  Word,  the  power  of  the  work  that  Dr.  Brooks  has  given 
his  life  to,  and  the  power  of  the  work  that  is  done  by  the  Bible 
societies  of  the  world.  I  do  not  think  the  church  believes  as  it  ought 
to  in  the  power  of  the  written  Word.  Send  a  man  when  you  can,  and 
let  him  preach  Christ;  but  I  find  where  a  man  can  not  go,  a  book  can 
go.  How  many  foundations  of  missions  have  been  laid,  not  because 
a  man  was  there  to  preach,  but  because  the  Word  was  left  there. 

If  Russia  is  going  to  be  evangelized,  you  must  have  men  that  have 
given  themselves  to  the  work;  and  you  must  also  have  the  Word  of 
God.  You  will  have  to  get  it  for  them  in  their  own  mother  tongue. 
Our  God  has  said,  "My  Word  shall  not  return  unto  me  void,"  and  it  is 
true.  The  American  Bible  Society  is  now  about  to  take  steps  to  print 
a  Russian  Bible,  and  I  am  certain  you  will  all  be  interested  to  learn 
of  this.  In  a  little  while  we  will  be  able  to  furnish  the  Russian  Bible 
and  millions  will  be  necessary.  Now  we  are  your  servants,  and  if 
we  can  help  you,  we  want  to  do  so.  We  have  prayed  for  months  past 
that  the  way  may  open  so  that  we  can  give  the  Word  of  God  to  the 
Slavs  and  the  Bohemians  and  the  Poles  and  the  Russians  over  there. 

MR.  JOHN  WASYIiKIEV,  Scranton,  Pa. 

I  represent  the  Ukrainian  Christian  people.  There  are  over  thirty 
million  Ukrainian  people  belonging  to  Russia,  but  now  independent  of 
Russia,  and  over  three  million  Ukrainian  people  living  in  Austria. 
I  am  from  Austria  and  I  bring  to  you  the  thanks  of  my  brothers  whom 

169 


170  Greetings  of  Bible  Society  and  Conference 

you  have  helped  to  find  Jesus.  We  want  every  one  of  our  brothers  and 
sisters  among  the  Ukrainian  people,  to  know  Jesus.  The  first  Ukrain- 
ian Christian  church  is  in  Scranton,  the  first  church  in  the  United 
States  of  the  Ukrainian  people.  If  we  want  to  bring  these  people  to 
Jesus,  we  must  give  them  something,  we  must  give  them  the  Bible; 
and  we  have  no  Bibles  in  our  language  and  we  have  no  hymns.  If  we 
want  to  sing,  we  have  to  take  hymns  from  the  Russian  or  Polish  lan- 
guage; and  you  can  understand  we  prefer  to  sing  in  our  own  language. 
We  want  to  prepare  our  young  people  and  send  them  out  among  the 
Ukrainians  to  tell  them  about  Jesus.  We  do  as  much  as  we  can  to 
help  the  Ukrainian  people  and  want  you  to  help  them,  too.  I  beg  you 
all,  please  do  something  for  our    Ukrainian   people. 

PROF.   J.   J.   A^INCE   of  the   Russian   Bible   Institute,   Philadelphia 

I  was  for  two  years  a  representative  colporteur  for  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society  in  Russia.  I  do  not  know  any  other  country, 
or  any  other  government  that  was  so  loyal  to  the  Bible  as  the  Russian 
government.  Under  the  rule  of  the  Romanoffs  the  Russian  govern- 
ment permitted  us  to  travel  and  carry  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  copies 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  absolutely  free  of  charge.  The  colporteurs 
didn't  pay  one  cent.  They  traveled  free,  and  all  their  books  were  sent 
free.  I  agree  with  tY^  representative  of  the  American  Bible  Society, 
who  says:  "It  is  important  not  only  to  send  men,  but  we  must  send 
the  Bible."  When  I  was  a  representative  of  the  Bible  Society,  our 
superintendent  in  Petrograd  always  told  us:  "Do  not  speak  to  the 
people  any  words,  only  give  them  the  Bible.  Sell  them  the  Bible,  but 
you  are  not  allowed  to  talk."  I  went  to  a  certain  city,  and  on  the 
train,  passing  from  one  town  to  another,  I  had  my  Bibles  with  me. 
In  the  first  chair  in  the  car  sat  a  Russian  priest.  I  had  the  Bible, 
and  I  said:  "Little  father,  I  have  Bibles.  Maybe  you  would  like  to 
have  one."  He  said:  "No,  no."  Then  I  went  from  him  to  the  second 
and  third  and  through  the  whole  car,  and  in  the  other  end  of  the  car 
there  was  the  family  of  a  Russian  peasant.  That  family  bought  a  New 
Testament.  I  finished  and  I  came  back  to  my  place,  and  the  peasant 
came  to  me,  and  said:  "Please  give  me  back  my  ruble."  I  said:  "I  can 
not  give  you  back  the  ruble,"  and  I  asked:  "Who  told  you  to  bring 
back  the  book?"  He  said:  "That  fellow  said  to  me.  If  you  read  that 
book,  you  will  become  a  crazy  fellow.'  Now,  please  give  me  back  my 
ruble."  The  rules  of  our  Bible  Society  say  do  not  take  back,  but 
leave  the  books.  The  priest  was  sitting  at  the  other  end  of  the  car 
and  was  looking  on,  and  I  was  afraid  of  him.  Then  the  priest  called 
me  to  come  over,  and  I  went  to  him  and  said:  "What  is  the  matter, 
little  father?"  He  said:  "Why  did  you  have  the  conversation  with 
that  peasant?"     I  said:     "You  heard  the  conversation.     He  wants  me 


Greetings  of  Bible  Society  mid  Conference  171 

to  take  back  the  New  Testament."  "Well,  that  is  not  right,"  he  said. 
"You  go,  and  tell  the  man  who  told  him  he  would  be  like  the  crazy 
people  if  he  reads  the  book,  that  if  he  is  the  head  of  a  family  and  sits 
down  to  the  dinner  table  to  eat  his  food,  he  is  not  satisfied  if  he  has 
no  food,  and  tell  him,  just  so  a  Russian  Christian  ought  to  have  and 
must  have  his  New  Testament." 

REV.  JOHN  BOKMELDER, 

Dean  of  the  Russian  Baptist  Bible  Institution,  New  York 

I  am  glad  that  the  American  people  are  so  interested  in  the  evan- 
gelization of  Russia.  Our  school  was  opened  January  8,  1917,  with 
Pastor  Fetler  as  the  Dean.  I  was  with  him  as  associate  teacher  in 
the  school.  After  Mr.  Fetler  went  to  Philadelphia  I  continued  as 
Dean.  Last  year  we  had  twenty-four  students,  representing  five 
nationalities.  This  school  is  supported  by  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society.  The  cost  of  board  for  each  student  is  about  eleven 
dollars  a  month.  The  Home  Mission  Society  takes  care  of  the  rest 
of  our  expenses.  We  teach  educational  subjects  and  also  from  a  very 
good  text  book, — the  Bible.  We  believe  the  Bible,  stand  for  all  it 
teaches,  and  we  believe  that  from  cover  to  cover  it  is  the  inspired 
Word  of  God.  We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  died,  and  that  He  is  the 
Saviour  who  will  come  again  to  take  us  to  Him.  I  cannot  forget  the 
meetings  we  had  in  North  Dakota  last  December.  The  Russian  people 
there  would  start  their  meetings  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and 
continue  until  twelve  o'clock  at  night.  Even  after  that  they  were  not 
willing  to  go  home,  but  wanted  to  stay  and  hear  more  of  the  Gospel. 
We  need  your  prayers  and  support,  and  of  course  I  believe  that  you 
are  praying  that  the  Lord  will  use  the  Russian  brethren  and  prepare 
them  for  His  service.  We  have  great  need  of  Russian  pastors  and 
Christian  workers  in  America,  and  do  not  have  them.  Pray  the  Lord 
to  send  them  forth. 

Now  just  a  w^ord  about  how  the  Lord  brought  me  to  Himself.  I  was 
converted  when  I  was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  It  was  my  mother 
who  prayed  for  me;  and  the  Lord  worked  by  His  Holy  Spirit  in  my 
heart  at  that  early  age.  I  saw  myself  as  a  great  sinner  before  God, 
and  He  forgave  my  sins,  and  made  me  happy.  It  was  not  permitted 
that  I  should  be  baptized  then,  for  there  was  no  freedom  in  Russia, 
but  my  mother  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  give  freedom,  and  she 
said  to  me  that  she  was  convinced,  in  her  heart,  that  the  Lord  would 
give  religious  freedom  in  Russia.  In  1905  a  religious  freedom  was 
given  and  I  was  baptized  that  year.  I  shall  never  forget  the  night 
when  I  was  baptized  together  with  three  converts.  It  was  a  country 
place.  There  was  a  revolution  at  the  time,  and  so  the  pastor  said, 
"Let  us  go  in  the  night  time."  And  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  we 
went  to  the  lake  and  were  baptized. 


172  Greetings  of  Bible  Society  and  Conference 

REV.  ERIC  OLSON,  of  the  Conference  Executive  Committee,  and 
one  of  the  first  volunteers  for  service  in  Russia 

This  conference  has  greatly  encouraged  me,  and  I  am  sure  the  Lord 
will  use  it  as  a  means  of  salvation  for  Russia's  millions.  Paul  says  in 
his  letter  to  the  Romans,  "I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  everyone  that  believeth." 
We,  as  Swedes,  have  been  wonderfully  saved  by  this  Gospel,  as  have 
also  some  of  the  Russians,  but  the  masses  of  the  Russian  people  need 
vastly  more  gospel  work.  Nothing  else  can  save  them  from  present 
and  eternal  ruin.  Let  us  all  stand  by  Russia  in  loving  sympathy, 
prayer  and  support.  I  am  glad  to  see  how  our  Swedish  people  have 
been  changed  in  their  attitude  toward  Russia.  In  former  days  we 
had  nothing  for  Russia  but  hate  and  evil  thoughts,  but  now  we  want 
to  see  the  entire  nation  saved  by  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus  Christ; 
and,  oh,  what  a  happy  day  it  will  be  when  we  stand  together  before 
the  throne  of  God  and  praise  Him  forever  for  this  wonderful  salva- 
tion! 


AMONG  THE  MOHAMMEDANS  AND 
KURDS  AT  ARARAT 

By  REV.   N.  F.  HOIJER 

THE  vast  plain  of  Ararat  is  closed  in  on  all  sides  by  mountains. 
The  plain  is  so  large  that  upon  it  are  many  towns  and  cities. 
Among  them  is  Erivan  and  Etchmiadzin  or  Varashabad,  where 
the  most  renowned  monastery  of  the  Armenians  is  located.  There  is 
also  Nakhitchevan,  the  first  resting  place  of  Noah,  where  the  patriarch 
is  said  to  have  settled  for  a  time  after  coming  out  of  the  Ark.  The 
wife  of  Noah,  according  to  tradition,  was  buried  in  a  town  near  by,  of 
the  name  Myzahn,  which  means,  "our  mother's  tomb." 

In  these  towns  there  is  a  vast  population  of  Armenians  and  among 
them  there  is  an  evangelical  mission.  I  journeyed  to  and  fro  there 
during  fifteen  years,  and  brought  to  that  plain  a  Christian  teacher 
for  the  children  of  Armenian  parents.  I  was  planning  to  return  to 
Tiflis,  the  main  city  of  the  Caucasus,  when  a  voice  in  my  heart  kept 
saying:  "You  must  go  over  the  mountain  Alagats."  There  was  no 
road  on  which  one  could  travel  by  carriage  over  that  mountain  and 
I  had  to  go  on  horseback,  or  on  foot.  I  had  a  good  Arab  horse.  When 
I  spoke  to  my  friends  about  my  intention  to  travel  that  way  they 
said:  "You  can  never  go  that  way.  The  Kurds  live  there  and  they 
are  all  robbers.  They  will  kill  you  to  get  your  beautiful  horse." 
But  I  felt  I  had  to  go  that  way  if  I  were  not  disobedient  to  God.  My 
traveling  companion,  however,  left  me  and  I  was  quite  alone  with 
God,  riding  on  my  horse.  After  the  first  day's  journey  I  reached  a 
great  height  on  Mt.  Alagats. 

Over  Mount  Alagats 

There  is  a  legend  that  Noah's  Ark  first  struck  the  ground  on  this 
mountain,  but  it  was  later  driven  by  the  wind  to  the  larger  mountain 
of  Ararat.  While  my  thoughts  were  busy  with  the  legends  and  tra- 
ditions connected  with  my  surroundings  I  suddenly  came  upon  a  cara- 
van of  Armenians.  Among  them  there  was  an  old  man  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  patriarch,  tall,  with  expressive  black  eyes  and  white 
hair  and  beard.  When  he  had  reached  me  he  stopped,  and  said  in 
Armenian:  "I  see  that  you  are  a  stranger.  You  look  like  a  man  from 
a  far  away  country.  You  do  not  know  what  dangers  are  around  you. 
Kurds  are  living  here  and  they  are  fond  of  fine  horses  like  the  one 
you  have.  They  will  kill  you  to  get  your  horse.  Listen  now  to  my 
advice.    Go  back  with  our  caravan  and  stay  over  night  in  our  village; 

173 


174  Among  the  MoJiammedans  and  Kurds 

then  you  may  continue  your  trip  tomorrow,  but  do  not  go  to  yon 
mountain!"  I  felt  sorry  that  1  had  to  decline  such  a  friendly  offer, 
but  continued  my  way.  The  old  man  shook  his  head  and  said:  "You 
do  not  know  what  you  are  doing,  stranger!" 

Towards  evening  I  came  to  a  place  where  the  Kurds  were  living. 
The  mountain  consists  of  a  soft  kind  of  stone  and  in  this  the  Kurds 
have  dug  out  their  caves.  One  can,  therefore,  say  that  every  dwelling 
is  a  fortress.  When  the  Kurds  saw  the  lonely  rider,  they  gathered 
near  their  dwellings  and  they  engaged  in  a  lively  conversation.  They 
decided  to  set  their  dogs  on  me.  These  were  very  much  like  wolves  in 
color,  size  and  shape.  These  dogs  have  been  so  trained  that  if  they 
are  set  on  some  one  by  their  masters,  be  it  a  man  afoot  or  on  horse- 
back, they  are  sure  to  take  him  prisoner.  I  knew  this  because  of  my 
former  experience  with  them.  I  shouted  therefore  in  a  commanding 
tone  in  Russian.  "Derzhite  vashikh  soback!"     (Call  back  your  dogs!) 

To  my  great  astonishment  the  dogs  were  called  back  at  once.  The 
Kurds  thought  certainly  that  I  was  a  Cossack  officer.  I  had  a  broad 
Asiatic  gabardine  which  covered  my  garments  and  I  wore  a  sheepskin 
cap  like  the  one  worn  by  Cossacks.  They  certainly  thought  that  I 
had  a  whole  Cossack  company  behind  me  and  so  I  was  allowed  to  pass 
on. 

After  riding  a  few  hours  more  I  struck  upon  another  Kurdish  colony. 
The  same  experience  was  repeated  here.  The  Kurds  set  their  fierce 
dogs  on  me  and  I  shouted  again  so  that  the  echo  sounded  through  the 
mountains:  "Call  back  your  dogs!"  and  again  the  Kurds  called  back 
their  dogs. 

Among  Wild  Kurds 

It  was  late  at  night  and  I  had  reached  a  considerable  height  in 
the  mountain.  There  were  masses  of  snow  and  the  moon  shed  its  pale 
light  on  the  mountain  scenery.  The  light  of  moon  and  stars  made 
the  snow  sparkle  like  a  mass  of  diamonds.  My  thought  was  drawn  to 
my  old  home  and  I  wondered  if  I  would  ever  see  my  dear  ones  again. 
I  resolved  to  ride  all  night,  if  the  Kurds  did  not  take  me  prisoner. 
With  such  meditations  I  came  to  a  third  encampment  of  Kurds,  larger 
than  those  I  had  passed.  There  was  manifest  a  general  interest  in 
the  lonely  rider  and  the  men  seemed  to  be  gathering  for  conference. 
To  my  astonishment  they  did  not  set  their  dogs  on  me.  This  was 
rather  disappointing,  because  I  began  to  wish  eagerly  for  some  change 
in  the  situation.  It  became  colder  and  colder  and  the  snow  deepened 
and  there  were  packs  of  hungry  wolves  roving  in  those  wild  moun- 
tains. If  the  Kurds  were  to  arrest  me,  I  could  at  least  make  myself 
understood  with  a  few  words  and  possibly,  after  all,  I  could  be  met 
in  a  friendly  way.      But  it  would  be  useless  to  talk  to  wolves.     If  I 


Eev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  175 

were  taken  prisoner  by  the  Kurds,  I  would  talk  under  the  inspiration 
of  the  moment,  as  many  a  time  before  I  had  been  saved  from  hostile 
people  in  that  way. 

When  up  a  little  distance  higher  in  the  mountain,  I  noticed  that 
the  dogs  were  after  me.  Now  it  was  serious!  There  was  no  man 
present  there  who  could  call  them  back.  I  was  clearly  in  their  power. 
To  fight  against  them  would  be  of  no  avail.  I  turned  back  my  fright- 
ened horse  and  I  tried  to  quiet  him  by  petting  and  stroking  him. 

Soon  the  dogs  were  near  and  they  made  a  circle  around  me,  barking 
and  pawing  the  ground,  as  the  hounds  do  when  they  have  caught  a 
deer  and  are  keeping  him  from  running  away  until  the  hunters  come. 
The  hunters  were  not  long  in  coming  this  time.  A  black  crowd  was 
seen  approaching  quickly.  Soon  their  shouts  and  noise  were  heard 
and  their  weapons  reflected  the  moonlight.  The  dogs  left  me  as  soon 
as  their  masters  had  come  near.  The  Kurds  were  armed  with  revol- 
vers, rifles  and  long  two-edged  daggers.  One  of  them  pointed  with  his 
sword  to  my  chest,  probably  to  scare  me,  as  I  thought.  In  my  hand 
I  held  a  short  whip  which  I  clicked,  saying,  "Get  away,  boy!"  All  the 
rest  roared  with  laughter.  It  appeared  to  them  more  than  ridiculous 
that  I  showed  I  could  defend  myself  with  a  whip  against  their  well 
armed  company. 

Sanctified  Strategy 

Now,  I  addressed  myself  to  them  in  the  Russian  language,  and  I 
said:  "I  am  come  to  be  a  guest  with  your  Prince.  Take  me  at  once 
to  your  Prince!"  One  of  them  understood  the  language  and  translated 
it  to  the  others.  They  spoke  among  themselves  in  an  Armenian  dia- 
lect, which  I  understood,  as  I  had  preached  several  times  in  that 
language.  They  said:  'Ts  he  acquainted  with  our  Prince?  A  re- 
markable man  who  rides  here  alone  and  without  weapons  at  night 
over  our  mountains.  His  horse  seems  to  be  a  Kurdish  horse  and  his 
saddle  also.  Coming  to  our  Prince  as  a  guest.  Who  can  this  man 
be?"  I  repeated:  ''Take  me  at  once  to  your  Prince!"  They  now 
showed  me  with  signs,  that  I  must  ride  back  the  same  way  which  I 
had  come.  This  I  at  once  did  and  the  Kurds  followed  me  talking  in 
excitement. 

We  came  at  last  to  a  place,  where  some  one  shouted:  "Stop!"  Two 
stately  young  men  walked  out  of  a  cave  and  I  asked  if  some  one  of 
them  was  the  chief.  They  said:  "No."  "Did  not  I  order  you  to  take 
me  to  your  Prince?"  I  shouted. 

Among  the  crowd  there  was  a  youth  and  I  made  a  sign  to  him  that 
he  should  take  hold  of  the  bridle  of  my  horse  and  take  me  to  the 
Prince.  The  boy  obeyed  and  we  came  soon  to  the  place,  where  the 
chief  lived.     Numerous  Kurds  were  gathered  there.     I  asked  one  of 


176  Among  the  Moliammedans  and  Kurds 

them  again:  "Is  any  one  of  these  your  Prince?"  He  showed  a  beauti- 
ful young  man  with  large,  bright  eyes.  I  saluted  him  in  the  Kurdish 
way  by  touching  with  my  hand  my  forehead,  my  mouth  and  chest  and 
by  making  a  deep  bow.    The  Prince  did  likewise.    Then  I  said  to  him: 

Greeting  the  Prince 

"I  am  come  to  you  as  a  guest.  I  have  been  riding  a  long  way  and  my 
horse  is  tired  and  hungry.  He  wants  to  eat  something  and  then  to 
rest.  Have  the  kindness  to  let  the  horse  be  put  in  a  stable  and  given 
some  fodder."  The  Prince  ordered  the  horse  to  be  taken  through  a 
sloping  path  in  the  mountain.  I  followed  after  and  I  was  followed  by 
a  whole  crowd  of  Kurds.  Inside  the  mountain  there  was  a  large  space 
where  the  horses,  donkeys,  cows,  oxen  and  sheep  were  kept.  After 
having  made  sure  that  my  horse  had  the  necessary  care  given  to  him, 
I  took  my  saddle,  riding  bags  and  walked  into  a  hall  to  the  left  of 
the  stable's  entrance,  where  most  of  the  men  were  gathered.  The  hall 
was  large  and  on  both  sides  there  were  stone  benches  four  feet  high 
and  four  feet  wide,  which  were  covered  with  precious  rugs. 

I  climbed  upon  one  of  them,  I  laid  there  my  saddle  and  bags,  I  spread 
my  overcoat  and  reclined  on  it,  resting  on  my  elbow,  so  I  could  see  the 
people.  The  men  were  all  armed  and  they  spoke  with  excitement 
about  the  man  they  had  captured. 

"He  is  neither  a  Kurd,  nor  Turk,  nor  is  he  Persian;  he  is  not 
Armenian,  Georgian,  Syrian  or  Russian.  What  kind  of  a  man  can  he 
be?"  "Ask  him,  who  he  is,"  said  the  Prince.  The  man  who  had  been 
acting  for  me  as  interpreter  asked  me  now  in  Russian  who  I  was; 
because  I  pretended  not  to  understand  their  language.  I  said  that  I 
was  a  Swede.  If  I  had  said  that  I  was  an  inhabitant  of  the  moon 
they  would  have  understood  me  quite  as  well,  because  they  never 
heard  anything  of  Swedes.  The  next  thing  they  did  was  to  settle 
about  disarming  me.  They  said  it  is  wonderful  that  this  fellow  who 
has  a  Kurdish  horse  and  saddle  does  not  carry  weapons. 

The  Missionary's  Weapon 

The  Prince  said:  "Oh,  he  carries  certainly  weapons,  terrible  weapons, 
which  we  do  not  understand  anything  about.  Look  at  him!  Could 
he  rest  so  quietly  there  if  he  had  no  weapons,  when  we  stand  all 
around  him,  a  crowd  of  armed  men.  But  he  must  give  away  his 
weapons;  tell  him  to  do  so." 

I  did  not  know  at  first  what  I  should  do.  As  I  thought,  now  it  will 
be  a  fine  thing  when  they  learn  that  I  have  no  weapon.  But  when 
the  interpreter  gave  me  the  order  I  had  already  decided  what  to  do. 

I  opened  my  bag  and  took  an   Armenian  Bible.     I  stood   up  and 


Bev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  177 

offered  the  Bible  to  the  Prince,  saying:  "This  is  my  weapon.  It  is 
the  word  of  God  Almighty  to  the  children  of  men."  The  Prince  took 
the  Bible,  examined  it  and  then  bowing  with  reverence  he  touched 
with  it  his  forehead,  mouth  and  chest.  He  handed  over  the  Bible  to 
the  man  next  him,  and,  repeating  my  words,  wished  him  to  show,  in 
the  same  way,  reverence  for  the  Holy  Book.  After  that  the  Bible  was 
passed  on  from  man  to  man  in  the  whole  audience.  There  was  a  silent 
and  reverent  spirit  prevailing  among  them,  as  solemn  as  it  could  be 
in  a  church.  The  only  sound  which  interrupted  the  silence  was  when 
one  man  passed  the  Bible  to  another  man,  saying:  "This  is  the  word 
of  God  Almighty  to  the  children  of  men."  When  all  the  men  had 
passed  through  that  ceremony  of  kissing  the  Book,  the  turn  came  to 
the  women.  These  were  all  lined  up  in  a  row  and  placed  according 
to  their  rank  and  the  Prince  handed  the  Bible  to  the  oldest  of  the 
women  telling  her  to  show  the  same  signs  of  reverence,  and  to  press 
the  Bible  to  her  forehead,  mouth  and  chest.  The  women  went  through 
the  same  performance,  while  they  all  took  up  their  seats  on  the  bench 
facing  the  couch  which  I  had  chosen  for  myself. 

Kui'dish   Hospitality 

Now  they  began  to  look  upon  me  as  one  descending  from  a  higher 
world.  They  began  to  ask  among  themselves:  "Can  he  eat?  What 
do  you  think  he  can  eat?"  The  Prince  ordered  the  interpreter  to  ask 
what  I  wanted  to  eat  and  I  answered  that  I  would  like  to  have  bread 
and  milk.  They  brought  quickly  some  milk  in  a  bowl  of  shining 
metal  and  heated  it  over  the  fire  which  was  burning  in  the  hall  and 
then  brought  it  to  me,  and  some  small  round  cakes. 

When  I  began  to  eat,  they  came  with  their  music,  with  flutes  and 
stringed  instruments.  They  played  some  of  their  national  tunes  and 
they  imitated  with  their  music  the  human  voice.  As  long  as  I  ate 
they  continued  to  play  in  that  way.  I  ate  slowly  for  I  thought  that 
they  would  cease  playing  when  I  got  through  with  my  meal.  But  they 
continued  then  to  play  another  tune.  Sometimes  they  wo.uld  add  more 
force  and  increase  the  speed,  sometimes  the  music  would  slow  down, 
so  that  it  seemed  like  a  still  breeze  sweeping  over  the  forest,  filled 
with  the  song  of  birds.  It  was  queer  music.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
they  wanted  to  play  me  to  sleep.  I  did  not  know  then  that  it  was 
indeed  the  custom  with  them,  but  later  on  I  learned  that  with  thig 
clan  of  Kurds  it  is  customary  to  play  for  a  guest,  that  they  honor,  or 
to  sing  of  the  deeds  of  their  fathers  until  he  goes  to  sleep,  and  tfl 
continue  their  playing  for  a  while,  when  he  is  asleep  to  sweeten  his 
dreams. 

I  was  tired  and  I  committed  therefore  my  soul  and  body  into  God's 


178  Among  the  Mohammedans  and  Kurds 

hand  and  slept  sweetly  in  assurance  that  there  was  now  nothing  to 
be  feared  from  the  Kurds. 

Unique  Experience 

When  I  awoke  next  morning  some  of  the  Kurds  stood  there  and 
looked  at  me.  I  tried  for  a  while  not  to  show  them  that  I  was  awake. 
I  had  slept  in  my  clothes,  with  my  overcoat  spread  over  me.  Suddenly 
I  got  up  and  greeted  them  in  their  own  language.  They  were  much 
amazed  and  they  asked:  "Can  you  talk  our  language?"  "Certainly 
I  can  talk  your  language."  "But  why  then  did  not  you  talk  our  lan- 
guage yesterday?"  "I  hid  from  you  yesterday  that  I  knew  your 
language,  in  order  to  let  you  talk  with  more  freedom  in  your  own 
tongue  about  me.  Now  although  you  did  not  know  that  I  knew  your 
language,  as  you  have  not  spoken  evil  of  me,  and  you  have  behaved 
well  with  me,  to  thank  you  for  your  hospitality  I  will  read  to  you 
from  the  Word  of  God  Almighty  to  the  children  of  men." 

Now  there  was  a  commotion  among  the  crowd  and  they  shouted: 
"Come  in,  come  in,  he  is  going  to  read  for  us!"  The  hall  quickly 
filled  with  Kurds  and  I  read  to  them  from  John  3:1-16,  and  I  gave 
them  a  short  address  and  prayed. 

After  that  I  wrote  my  name  and  my  Tiflis  address  on  a  slip  of 
paper  and  gave  it  to  the  Prince,  saying:  "Have  now  the  kindness 
and  let  them  saddle  my  horse,  as  I  cannot  stay  any  longer  with  you, 
but  if  anybody  wishes  to  know  more  about  the  Word  of  God  Almighty 
to  the  children  of  men  he  may  go  to  Tiflis  and,  if  he  shows  there  this 
paper  to  any  one,  he  will  be  told  how  to  find  my  house,  and  I  will 
tell  more  about  the  Word  of  the  Great  Spirit." 

Surely  one  would  call  it  a  long  distance  to  go  to  church,  140  miles, 
but  I  thought  that  if  a  yearning  had  been  awakened  in  some  one  to 
hear  more  of  the  Word  of  the  Almighty,  the  distance  would  not  be  of 
much  importance.  The  Kurdish  chief  took  my  slip  of  paper  and  kept 
it.  He  gave  the  order  to  saddle  my  horse.  Also  he  ordered  a  man, 
whom  he  trusted,  to  convey  me  safely  out  of  the  mountains.  He  also 
told  this  man  to  tell  the  Kurds,  that  we  might  meet  on  the  way,  that 
I  was  a  friend  of  the  Prince  and  that  no  one  should  do  me  any  harm. 

Thus  I  reached  safely  my  mission  station  in  Tiflis  after  this  unusual 
experience. 

Comes    140   Miles   to   Church 

One  Sunday  morning,  several  months  after,  when  I  was  about  to 
preach  for  the  Armenians,  a  man  came  up  to  me  and  said:  "There 
is  a  wild  highlander  armed  with  swords  and  daggers,  standing  out- 
side; he  says  he  knows  you.  He  looks  fierce  and  dangerous.  I  won- 
der if  he  has  some  mischievous  device.    What  shall  we  do  with  him?" 


Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  .  179 

I  told  him  to  let  the  man  come  in  and  I  looked  at  the  stranger  try- 
ing to  recollect  where  I  could  have  met  him  before.  He  seemed  vexed 
at  my  not  recognizing  him  and  said  in  a  displeased  tone:  "Dost  thou 
not  know  me?"  I  said:  "No,  I  do  not  know  thee."  Then  he  began 
with  difficulty  to  undo  his  garments  and  he  at  last  produced  a  dirty 
paper  that  he  had  worn  on  his  chest.  He  held  it  out  to  me  and  said: 
"Dost  thou  know  this?"  Now  I  recognized  the  paper  which  I  had  given 
the  Kurdish  chief  in  the  wild  mountains  and  I  knew  this  Kurd  to  be 
the  one  whom  the  Prince  had  sent  to  escort  me  and  protect  me.  He 
stayed  with  me  as  a  guest  several  months  and  partook  in  our  Armenian 
meetings  and  I  had  many  talks  with  him  about  the  Saviour  of  the 
world. 

Miss   Sundwall's   Mission 

At  that  time  Miss  Elin  Sundwall,  from  Gothenburg,  was  on  the  staff 
of  workers  in  our  mission  station  and  it  fell  to  her  lot  to  teach  this 
Kurd  to  read  and  write  in  Armenian.  When  we  saw  these  two  study- 
ing together  we  were  indeed  reminded  of  the  passage  in  Isaiah  11:6-9: 
"The  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall  lie  down 
with  the  kid;  and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling  together; 
and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them." 

The  Kurd  found  it  very  diflEicult  to  learn  the  complicated  Armenian 
letters ;  but  Miss  Sundwall  prayed  and  worked  with  him  and  at  last  he 
was  able  to  read.  He  never  laid  aside  his  weapons;  but  he  never  used 
them  during  this  time.  Now  that  he  was  able  to  read  he  considered 
himself  to  be  very  learned  and  he  gave  himself  no  peace  until  he 
could  go  back  again  to  his  dear  old  home  in  the  mountains. 

In  leaving  us  he  received  many  parts  of  the  Bible  and  promised  to 
tell  his  own  people  what  he  knew  of  the  Word  of  God  Almighty  to 
the  children  of  men.  Never  since,  in  the  course  of  time,  have  I  had 
the  opportunity  of  meeting  with  Kurds  on  Mount  Alagats;  but  one 
thing  I  know,  that  if  I  could  once  more  go  and  visit  them  I  should 
receive  a  welcome  among  them.  Miss  Elin  Sundwall  has  been  doing 
missionary  work  among  them  for  many  years. 


AMERICA'S  OPPORTUNITY  IN  RUSSIA 

By  REV.  JAMES  M.  GRAY,  D.  D., 

Dean  of  The  Moody  Bible  Institute 

I  BELIEVE  the  Christians  of  the  United  States  should  lead  in  the 
evangelism  of  Russia  at  the  present  crisis,  because  I  believe  we 
have  an  entree  to  the  hearts  of  the  Russian  people  such  as  is  not 
granted  to  any  other  nation.  We  are  told  on  good  authority  that  the 
American  Red  Cross  is  the  only  institution  of  the  Allies  that  the 
present  ruling  powers  in  Russia  really  trust.  Diplomats  and  mili- 
tarists one  after  another  have  been  turned  down  by  the  government, 
but  the  Red  Cross  has  overcome  all  the  difficulties  to  co-operation  thus 
far,  and  both  the  government  and  the  people  back  of  it  are  beginning 
to  see  that  it  represents  no  underhanded  scheme  to  accomplish  the 
downfall  of  the  former.  It  has  found  a  point  of  contact  with  the 
powers  that  be,  and  so  far  as  its  operations  carry,  it  is  creating  an 
atmosphere  favorable  to  this  nation. 

But  back  of  the  Red  Cross  stands  the  official  utterances  of  our 
Government.  When  Japan  raised  the  question  as  to  whether  in  the 
event  that  Russia  signed  a  separate  peace  with  Germany,  the  Allies 
would  consider  her  neutral  or  an  enemy,  our  Government  replied  that 
we  would  regard  her  neither  as  a  neutral  nor  an  enemy,  but  as  an 
Ally.  Russia's  present  leaders  cannot  have  forgotten  that;  and  if 
they  have,  the  still  more  recent  words  of  President  Wilson  must  be 
remembered  where,  in  his  New  York  speech,  he  said  that  the  United 
States  proposed  to  fight  for  Russia  as  well  as  Belgium.  The  remark 
was  unpremeditated  in  the  midst  of  an  extemporaneous  address,  and 
he  was  surprised  and  delighted  to  see  the  great  audience  jump  to  its 
feet,  and  come  out  into  the  aisles  to  cheer  the  promise  to  the  echo. 
And  the  President  was  careful  to  add,  in  reporting  the  incident  after- 
ward, that  the  people  before  him  were  not  the  proletariat,  but  the 
well-dressed,  and  well-fed  and  well-housed  part  of  the  community. 
For  these,  and  for  other  reasons  that  might  be  named,  we  may  believe 
that  Russia  would  look  with  kindly  eyes  on  any  effort  we  would  make 
on  her  behalf,  and  especially  such  an  altruistic  one  as  that  represented 
by  this  conference  on  evangelism. 

II. 

But  this  is  an  opportune  time  for  the  United  States  to  take  the  lead, 
speaking  only  in  the  political  sense,  because  if  we  may  believe  the  best 

180 


Rev.  J  amies  M.  Gray  181 

accredited  newspaper  information,  Russia  is  getting  her  eyes  open 
to  the  real  purposes  of  Germany,  and  the  confidence  and  hope  she  enter- 
tained in  that  direction  at  the  first  is  rapidly  being  changed  today 
into  distrust  and  even  hate.  She  was  forced  to  sign  a  peace  which 
she  now  regards  as  an  act  of  fraud.  She  admits  that  she  acted  un- 
wisely and  wrong  in  that  matter.  The  scales  are  falling  from  her 
eyes  every  day,  and  a  re-action  is  setting  in.  Formerly  she  saw  Ger- 
many only  as  a  menace  to  the  power  of  the  Czar  from  which  she  de- 
sired deliverance;  but  now  she  sees  in  her  an  enemy  to  the  Russian 
people  and  Russian  interests  of  every  kind  that  do  not  favor  Germany 
herself.  We  are  told  that  there  is  growing  up  in  every  village  and 
every  household  of  Russia  the  strong  conviction  that  real  peace  at 
this  time  is  not  to  be  expected,  and  that  if  Russia  is  to  avoid  a  return 
to  autocracy,  Germany  must  be  beaten.  In  this  respect  a  brief  expe- 
rience for  Russia  has  done  what  long  years  of  education  could  not 
have  accomplished.  Every  village  orator  blames  Germany  for  Russia's 
trials  and  tribulations,  and  for  this  reason,  as  I  have  said,  every 
evangelist  from  the  United  States  will  have  the  sympathetic  hearing 
that  could  not  have  been  promised  a  year  ago. 

III. 

But  a  third  reason  why  the  United  States  has  an  opportunity  un- 
precedented is,  because  even  Russia  herself  is  turning  to  us  for  aid 
of  a  certain  kind.  She  asks  American  and  French  military  ofllcers  to 
help  her  organize  a  new  army — a  revolutionary  army.  She  is  asking 
these  two  countries  to  aid  her  in  removing  her  large  stores  of  muni- 
tions beyond  the  Volga  and  out  of  reach  of  Germany,  if  that  nation 
makes  another  unwarranted  advance  within  her  territory.  She  asks 
our  railway  men  to  come  to  Russia  and  "actually  assist  in  the  physical 
evacuation"  of  these  things.  She  asks  us  to  help  her  in  her  markets 
and  her  trade,  and  if  she  does  not  ask  us  to  help  her  in  her  religious 
and  spiritual  life,  she  can  not  consistently  turn  the  door  upon  us 
when  we  bring  that  blessing  in  company  with  these  other  things. 

The  other  evening  I  listened  to  Dr.  Saillens  of  France,  as  he 
pleaded  eloquently  for  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  the  two 
nations  most  favored  with  the  Gospel,  to  bring  back  to  France  the 
knowledge  of  the  Cross.  But  the  need  of  France  is  scarcely  greater 
than  the  need  of  Russia,  and  if  we  aid  the  latter  in  carnal  things,  and 
fail  to  minister  to  her  in  spiritual  things,  heavily  will  this  nation 
suffer  for  it  in  that  day  when  even  nations,  as  well  as  individuals, 
shall  stand  in  judgment  before  God. 


182  America's  Opportunity  in  Russia 

IV 

But,  in  the  fourth  place,  the  business  and  political  leaders  of  the 
United  States  are  actually  conferring  and  planning  to  do  some  of 
these  very  things  for  Russia,  and  even  more.  Our  army  men  are  very 
likely  to  be  sent  to  organize  her  military  forces  and  advise  their 
leaders  concerning  strategy.  Our  experts  in  coal  and  oil  are  likely 
to  go  over  to  show  them  how  to  extract  these  rich  prizes  from  the 
ground.  Our  financiers  are  going  over  to  assist  in  solving  Russia's 
financial  difficulties,  and  to  conserve  her  assets  for  the  payment  of  her 
debts  to  us  and  the  other  allied  nations.  There  is  some  talk  of  an 
industrial  commission  in  the  United  States  "for  the  purpose  of  pur- 
chasing raw  materials  in  Russia  and  shipping  them  to  America,  so  as 
to  prevent  them  from  going  to  Germany,"  and  then  sending  back  to 
Russia  our  manufactured  articles  to  pay  for  them. 

Is  it  possible  that  politics  and  statesmanship  and  commerce  and 
finance  shall  put  to  shame  the  interest  and  the  effort  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  to  send  the  Gospel  to  these  multitudes  of  the  unevan- 
gelized?  Shall  we  furnish  today  a  fresh  illustration  of  the  saying 
that  "children  of  this  generation  are  wiser  than  the  children  of 
light"?  Shall  the  world  be  prompt  and  enterprising  enough  to  seize 
upon  this  investment  for  its  benefit,  and  shall  we  Christians  allow 
the  opportunity  to  be  lost  for  God  and  for  His  Son?  Do  we  realize 
that  there  are  182,000,000  people  in  Russia,  and  that  there  are  not 
as  many  evangelical  workers  there  as  in  this  city  alone? 


Local  conditions  in  Russia  afford  an  unprecedented  opening  for  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel.  We  hear  a  good  deal  about  the  Russian  soviet, 
an  organization  we  are  told,  that  goes  down  deep  into  Russian  life 
and  which  literally  means  a  village  council.  To  a  dweller  in  New 
England,  as  I  have  been,  it  sounds  like  the  old-fashioned  New  Eng- 
land town-meeting.  It  savors  of  the  democratic  idea  of  popular  dis- 
cussion and  majority  rule. 

The  government  of  Russia  at  this  time  is  spoken  of  merely  as  a 
central  clearing-house  for  the  thousands  of  these  Soviets  all  over  the 
country.  They  are  atheistic  in  tendency  if  not  in  fact,  but  that  only 
emphasizes  the  need  and  accentuates  the  oportunity.  Their  atheism 
is  explained  by  what  they  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Russian 
church.  "The  church  belonged  to  the  Czar,"  they  said,  "it  was  the 
Czar's  instrument.  We  do  not  trust  the  Czar,  and  so  we  do  not  trust 
the  Czar's  church."  But  the  propaganda  of  the  Gospel  which  we 
propose  is  far  enough  removed  from  any  likeness  to  the  Russian 
Church.     It  is  democratic  in  its  very  essence,  democratic  in  its  every 


Rev.  James  M.  Gray  183 

expression.  It  meets  the  people  in  their  homes  and  in  their  shops, 
on  their  farms  and  their  military  encampments.  By  land  and  sea  it 
travels,  by  spoken  word  and  printed  page.  Its  insignia  are  not  such 
things  as  an  arched  cathedral  and  a  priestly  ritual,  but  an  open 
Bible  and  the  Gospel  song.  It  seeks  not  theirs  but  them.  It  has 
nothing  to  receive,  but  the  greatest  of  all  things  to  give,  and  when 
it  is  freely  and  earnestly  presented  in  the  unction  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  a  people  thus  prepared  for  its  reception,  what  may  we  not  expect 
in  the  way  of  fruit? 

We  speak  of  settled  conditions  in  that  great  country,  of  wise 
councils  that  need  to  prevail,  of  a  strong  and  righteous  government 
so  sorely  longed  for,  and  of  international  relations  with  Europe  and 
America  that  shall  make  for  permanent  world  peace  and  temporal 
prosperity  to  all  concerned.  But  what  can  produce  these  material 
blessings,  to  say  nothing  of  salvation,  and  freedom  from  the  power 
of  sin  and  rest  of  the  individual  soul,  like  a  general  knowledge  and 
acceptance  of  the  free  grace  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ? 

VI 

The  great  need  of  Russia  in  this  respect  is  man-power  and  money- 
power  to  sustain  it,  and  neither  of  these  is  scarce.  We  do  not  forget 
that  we  are  at  war.  We  do  not  forget  that  the  government  is  calling 
for  every  able-bodied  man  of  draft  age,  to  don  the  military  uniform 
and  fight  the  battles  of  his  country.  We  are  not  indifferent  to  the 
latest  slogan,  "Fight,  or  Work."  There  mfist  be  no  idlers  in  this  day. 
Armies  are  not  at  war,  nations  are  at  war,  and  every  citizen  must 
do  his  part.     This  we  thoroughly  believe  and  heartily  endorse. 

But  there  are  some  things  to  be  said  on  the  other  side.  In  the  first 
place,  the  men  we  need  for  Russia's  evangelism  are,  in  numbers,  but 
a  drop  in  the  bucket  compared  with  the  millions  that  must  go  to  war. 
In  the  second  place,  there  are  many  among  them  who  because  of 
physical  disability  could  not  go  to  war.  In  the  third  place,  evan- 
gelization in  Russia  is  not  the  pastime  of  idlers,  even  the  government 
would  recognize  it  as  hard  work.  In  the  fourth  place,  it  has  a 
political  and  international  value  of  the  highest  rate.  In  the  fifth 
place,  the  government  recognizes  the  right  of  exemption  for  men  who 
are  actually  engaged  in  such  holy  service.  "\Ve  need  not  fear  to  ask 
for  men. 

And  so  far  as  money  is  concerned,  we  are  only  just  beginning  to 
find  out  how  rich  we  are.  The  revelations  of  the  income  tax  show 
hundreds  of  men  and  women  in  this  country  with  incomes  of  a  million 
and  near  a  million. 

And  we  are  only  just  beginning  to  find  out  how  to  give.  Liberty 
bonds    and   thrift   stamps,   and   war-taxes,    and   Red   Cross   and   War 


184  Americans  Opportunity  in  Russia 

Work  Council  donations  have  taught  us  this.    When  men  and  women 
are  giving  is  the  time  to  ask  them  to  give  more. 

An  English  correspondent  wrote  me  the  other  day  that  his  nation 
had  been  giving  £2,000,000  annually  to  send  the  Gospel  to  mission 
lands  and  thought  it  was  doing  great  things;  but  now  it  is  giving 
£7,000,000  daily  to  carry  on  this  war,  or  1260  times  as  much.  Had 
it  been  more  generous  toward  God  how  much  it  might  have  saved  for 
itself.  The  same  correspondent  reminded  me  that  it  was  considered 
a  mad  thing  for  a  Christian  to  give  up  a  lucrative  business  position 
and  go  out  into  the  Lord's  work.  Now  Christians  have  to  give  up  all 
and  go  into  the  bloody  trenches  of  France  to  slaughter  and  be 
slaughtered.  Christian  parents  demurred  in  giving  their  sons  and 
daughters  to  the  mission  field,  holding  them  back  from  the  Lord  and 
devoting  them  to  worldly  prospects,  luxuries  and  attainments.  Now 
they  have  them  torn  from  them  to  be  slaughtered.  Shall  we  not 
learn  the  lesson  of  these  things  and  be  prompt  to  act  upon  it? 

VII 

I  have  but  one  more  word  to  say,  and  that  is  that  our  opportunity  in 
Russia  may  soon  be  lost.  I  doubt  if  democracy  in  that  land  is  long- 
lived.  I  am  not  speaking  of  what  may  happen  in  a  decade  or  even  in 
a  generation,  but  I  believe  the  inspired  prophets  speak  of  a  future  of 
power  and  leadership  for  Russia  not  incidental  to  a  democracy,  but 
belonging  only  to  an  autocracy  of  the  strongest  kind.  However  she 
may  hate  Germany  and  evfdence  suspicion  of  Japan  today,  the  time 
is  coming,  I  cannot  but  believe,  when  she,  and  Germany  and  Japan 
will  be  in  close  alliance,  and  when  she  will  head  a  military  combina- 
tion for  the  control  of  the  great  east  such  as  the  world  shall  have 
never  known  before.  That  is  the  day  of  which  Ezekiel  speaks  when 
Jehovah  shall  be  sanctified  by  His  judgments  in  the  sight  of  all  the 
nations.  But  I  draw  the  veil  upon  it.  Our  duty  and  our  privilege  are 
clear,  and  if  it  were  ever  true  in  the  history  of  any  people,  it  is  in 
that  of  Russia  at  the  present  moment,  that  "now  is  the  accepted  time, 
behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation." 


A  CONCERTED  MOVEMENT  FOR  RUSSIA'S 
EVANGELIZATION 

By  REV.  W.  R.  AVEDDERSPOON 

WHEREVER  concerted  movements  have  been  made  for  the 
good  of  humanity  and  the  glory  of  God,  there  has  been  grand 
achievement.  I  need  but  hurriedly  remind  you  of  the  work 
of  Nehemiah,  who  listened  to  the  call  of  his  brethren  and  gave  him- 
self to  the  rebuilding  of  the  walls  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  He  said, 
you  remember  "So  built  we  the  wall,  because  the  people  had  a  mind  to 
work."  Another  great  concerted  movement  recorded  in  the  Old 
Testament  is  that  referring  to  Moses,  as  he  guides  the  people,  under 
divine  direction,  for  the  building  of  the  tabernacle.  "And  they  all 
came  with  their  gifts,"  so  the  record  has  it,  from  "gold  to  goat's 
hair."  It  was  a  grand  concerted  movement.  It  is  well  for  us  in  this 
hour,  to  remember  that  that  was  a  great  concerted  movement  in  the 
city  of  Jerusalem  after  our  risen  Lord  had  bidden  His  disciples  tarry 
a  while,  and  when  they  tarried  in  accordance  with  His  will,  there 
came  upon  them  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Most  High. 

A  Story  of  Sinful  Ambition 

I  want  to  take  you  back  to  the  Old  Testament  for  a  little  while 
tonight  and  bid  you  look  at  one  of  the  concerted  movements  therein 
set  forth.  You  will  find  it  in  the  book  of  Second  Kings  and  in  the  book 
of  Second  Chronicles.  In  Second  Kings  it  is  found  in  the  eleventh 
chapter,  and  in  Second  Chronicles,  it  is  found  in  the  twenty-third 
chapter,  and  it  is  the  story  of  sinful  amMtion.  And  how  ruthless  is 
sinful  ambition!  I  hold  before  you  the  character  that  these  chapters 
confront  us  with.  Here  is  Athaliah's  ruthlessness.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  king  and  a  queen,  Ahab  and  Jezebel.  She  is  the  wife  of  the 
King  Jehoram,  and  the  mother  of  a  king — Ahaziah.  Now  this  woman 
had  decided,  after  the  destruction  of  her  son,  that  she  should  be  the 
reigning  queen.  But  there  were  little  grandchildren  in  the  way. 
That  does  not  matter.  Let  the  little  innocents  be  destroyed.  And 
the  ivory  palace  floor  ran  red  with  the  blood  of  little  children.  She 
is  sitting  on  the  throne.  Now  it  is  the  seeming, —  (and  I  emphasize 
that,) — it  is  the  seeming  triumph  of  sin.  But,  brethren,  I  assert  that 
wherever  there  is  a  triumph  of  sin,  it  is  in  the  seeming;  there  is  only 
triumph  for  righteousness.     There  is  never  any  triumph  for  sin. 

185 


186  A  Concerted  Movement 

God's  Day  of  Reckoning 

Now  holding  that  little  picture  before  you,  I  want  to  draw  two  or 
three  lessons,  and  they  bear  directly  upon  what  is  before  us.  Sin 
must  ever  make  a  reckoning  with  God's  declarations.  The  sinner 
sometimes  forgets  that  and  goes  on  his  way  forgetting  that  he  is  to 
meet  God.  Now  this  woman  had  had  warning  enough.  Was  not  her 
mother  destroyed?  Was  not  her  father  Ahab  destroyed?  God  moves 
in  a  mysterious  way.  Was  not  Ahaziah  ruthlessly  slain,  her  own  son? 
She  had  many  warnings,  but  she  moves  on  in  her  conquering  way. 
God  had  made  a  declaration  to  his  servant  David  that  he  should  not 
be  without  a  light  in  Jerusalem.  Now  a  glorious  thing  for  us  who 
believe  in  Him  is  that  He  keeps  His  promise.  One  of  the  glories  of 
God  is  His  promise  keeping.  Was  there  not  a  promise  sent  forth  from 
the  very  Garden  of  Eden,  "The  Seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the 
serpent's  head"?  Did  not  Isaiah  cry,  "Unto  us  a  child  is  born,  and 
unto  us  a  Son  is  given;  and  His  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
Counsellor,  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of 
Peace"?  Behold,  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem  a  Son  was  born  unto  us, 
in  the  city  of  David.  He  was  the  Saviour  for  the  world.  God  does 
keep  His  Word.  This  woman  seemed  to  forget  the  fact  that  God  had 
made  a  declaration  with  regard  to  the  throne.  And  so  something 
happened.  Well,  you  know  God  has  ofttimes  something  to  happen. 
That  is,  men  say,  "Something  happened."  Something  happened  down 
at  the  banks  of  the  Nile  when  a  Levite's  child  was  put  out  upon  it. 
Something  happened.  A  princess  walked  by.  But  it  led  him  to  the 
court  of  the  king  and  to  the  wide  education  which  Egypt  could  give. 
Something  happened  when  they  had  Daniel  in  their  vicious  grip. 
Even  in  the  den  of  lions  something  happened.  God  comes  and  de- 
livers. So  men  are  using  that  kind  of  language,  "that  something 
happened."  They  are  ofttimes  forgetting  the  declaration  of  God,  and 
that  it  is  His  mighty  movement;  and  if  they  were  but  waiting  for 
Him  and  looking  for  Him,  they  would  discover  His  Presence,  for  God 
ever  moves  among  men.  God  moved  in  His  own  singular  way,  and 
Jehosheba, — a  woman,  ran  into  the  midst  of  the  awful  slaughter  and 
saved  a  little  grandchild,  by  the  name  of  Joash.  It  was  "something 
happening"  again.  Yes!  But  it  was  a  great  happening.  The  right- 
ful heir  was  saved.  And  now  I  want  this  to  come  with  all  the  strength 
that  my  soul  can  bring  it  tonight,  that  righteousness  has  forces  to 
rally. 

Vision  of  the  King 

There  was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jehoiada  living  at  that  time. 
Jehoiada  was  the  high  priest.     Jehoiada  knew  that  the  rightful  heir 


Rev.  W.  R.  Wedderspoon  187 

was  abiding  his  time.  Jehoiada  had  impressed  upon  him  from  time 
to  time  as  the  days  ran  into  months  and  the  months  ran  on  through 
six  years,  that  it  was  time  for  the  appearance  and  crowning  of  the 
rightful  heir,7-the  rightful  king.  The  consciousness  of  its  stirred 
him.  The  responsibility  of  it  gave  him  joy;  the  duty  of  it  was  a 
dynamic,  and  the  result  was  that  he  confided  in  his  dependable 
friends.  Christ  Himself  used  the  method.  Christ  confided  in  the 
trusty.  He  taught  them,  He  gathered  them  about  Him.  Jehoiada  in 
these  early  days  is  using  this  plan  that  our  Master  so  gloriously  gave 
to  us  as  followers  in  His  name  and  workers  for  His  kingdom. 
Jehoiada  drew  the  men  about  him  who  were  trusty.  He  began  to 
make  his  plan.  He  carefully  made  that  plan  after  showing  his 
friends  their  king.  And  whenever  a  man  sees  his  rightful  king,  the 
slavish  opinions  which  he  has  been  under  subjection  to  are  cast 
aside.  Now  I  cannot  afford  to  take  time  to  enlarge  upon  this  thought, 
but  you  knew  exactly  what  I  mean  here.  When  the  Spirit  of  the 
Living  God  comes  into  a  man  who  has  been  living  in  sin,  when  he 
sees  the  King  and  falls  in  love  with  the  King,  and  runs  to  embrace 
the  King,  there  is  a  complete  casting  off  of  the  yoke  of  the  ursurper. 
Now  Jehoiada  showed  them  the  rightful  king.  He  was  not  content 
merely  to  give  his  own  word.  He  showed  the  king.  The  great  need 
here  today  in  America  and  in  Russia  is  the  showing  of  the  King. 
It  is  the  greatest  need  of  the  hour, — show  the  King!  Now  mark, — 
he  showed  them  the  king.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  go  into 
details  here  (it  is  given  so  finely  in  the  chapters  which  were  men- 
tioned).    But  every  man  was  put  in  his  place  under  the  leaders. 

The  Fii-st  Essential 

The  first  essential  for  any  concerted  movement  is  worthy  leaders. 
Jehoiada  had  these  men  placed  in  companies  and  he  carefully  gave 
them  their  directions;  a  great  hour  arrived  when  they  brought  forth 
the  king  from  his  hiding  place;  and  as  the  "Word  has  it,  "They 
brought  forth  the  king  and  put  the  crown  upon  his  head,  and  the 
people  shouted,  'God  save  the  King!'"  (I  find  that  in.  old-fashioned 
revival  meetings  there  is  always  a  shout  when  the  King  really  comes. 
And  it  doesn't  harm  a  bit  if  you  shout  a  bit  before  He  is  coming. 
That  is,  if  you  are  sure  He  is  coming).  Let  me  make  a  practical 
application.  It  is  this,  that  righteousness  today  has  its  forces  to 
rally,  thank  God.  We  have  men  who  are  filled  with  the  Divine  Spirit, 
and  we  have  the  living  Word  of  our  Eternal  God.  That  was  a  good 
word  somebody  said  this  afternoon, — "the  man  and  the  Word."  We 
have  the  Man.  Listen  to  me,  now.  This  is  what  I  really  want  you 
to  get.  We  have  the  Man  in  Christ  Jesus  and  the  Word  of  God  going 
forth  to  accomplish  for  the  kingdom. 


188  A  Concerted  Movement 

One  Christ-Centered  Church  for  Russia 

Now,  when  we  lay  our  plans  wisely  and  well  for  Russia,  God  is 
going  in  most  singular  fashion  to  manifest  His  power.  This  day  is 
the  beginning  of  great  things,  greater  than  these  dreamers  on  my 
left  [Pastor  Petler  and  Dr.  Brooks]  can  now  perceive.  It  is  a  good 
day  for  them,  I  say.  It  is  their  day  of  prophecy.  Of  such  it  is  written 
they  shall  dream  dreams.  But  I  am  here  tonight  to  say  to  you  that 
they  cannot  see  all  the  glory  in  their  dreams..  If  they  wait  a  while 
in  heaven,  (and  we  do  not  want  to  send  them  there  too  quickly — but 
if  they  wait  a  while),  they  will  see  the  glorious  consummation. 
"Now  we  have  had  forces  at  work  in  Russia.  I  have  letters  here  to- 
night. I  do  not  think  I  ought  to  take  the  time  to  read  them  to  you. 
But  I  have  a  special  letter  here  from  a  man  who  is  there  now,  Dr. 
Simons,  our  Methodist  missionary.  As  you  know,  the  Methodists 
have  been  at  work  there.  Other  denominations  have  had  representa- 
tives at  work,  and  they  have  been  all  accomplishing  good  things. 
This  dear  man  here  [Mr.  Hoijer]  who  has  given  forty  years  of  his 
life  to  work  in  Russia  has  stirred  our  hearts  by  relating  some  of  his 
experiences.  Now  I  call  attention  simply  to  the  forces  that  are  at 
work  there  and  the  forces  back  here  that  are  to  be  rallied,  and  they 
simply  must  be  rallied  for  Russia's  salvation,  through  the  preaching 
of  the  Word  of  God.  We  need  a  single,  undivided,  whole-hearted, 
massive,  Christ-centered  church  in  Russia.  I  am  conscious  that  it  is 
not  the  Methodist,  and  not  the  Baptist,  and  not  the  Presbyterian,  and 
not  the  Congregational,  that  in  any  sense  is  to  be  made  anything  of; 
but  that  Christ  is  to  be  exalted.  All  hail  to  the  forces  that  can  be 
rallied,  and  they  are  numerous! 

The  King  and  the  Power  of  the  Kingdom 

Now  beloved,  if  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  representing  every  Christian  de- 
nomination could  do  such  a  grand  work  through  the  years  that  are 
past  and  is  now  becoming  so  helpful  to  the  soldiers  and  sailors,  if 
the  Evangelical  Alliance  of  all  denominations  gathered  together,  can 
accomplish  great  things,  if  a  great  Missionary  Conference  such  as 
that  at  Panama  can  accomplish  so  much,  if  the  Christian  Endeavor 
Society,  and  the  young  people's  societies  of  the  various  denominations 
can  accomplish  so  much,  if  the  Church  Federation  can  accomplish  so 
much,  if  the  great  Bible  societies  accomplish  so  much,  how  much  will 
be  accomplished  for  Russia  if  a  single,  undivided,  whole-hearted,  mas- 
sive, Christ-centered  church  is  developed  among  those  people!  The 
great  work  of  the  future  is  to  magnify  Jesus  Christ  in  the  individual 
and  to  preach  the  word  of  the  Living  God, — the  word  of  Everlasting 
Light  and  Life.     For  really,  brethren,  as  surely  as  Christ  rose  and 


Bev.  W.  B.  Wedderspoon  189 

passed  on  to  His  throne  and  is  sitting  there,  so  surely  is  there  com- 
ing a  day  when  He  the  rightful  King  will  be  crowned,  and  crowned 
in  Russia!  And  the  forces  that  righteousness  can  rally  will  give  us 
the  crowning  of  the  King  for  Russia  and  the  world.  We  have  the 
King.  I  emphasize  it  with  all  my  soul,  we  have  the  King,  and  His 
Name  is  Christ  Jesus!  We  have  the  King.  And,  brethren,  we  have, 
(if  we  will  only  lay  hold  upon  Him),  we  have  the  Power  of  the 
kingdom.  God  help  us  to  lay  hold  upon  the  Power  of  the  kingdom. 
Therefore,  let  us,  in  the  name  of  God,  and  for  His  dear  sake,  make 
our  gifts,  let  us  render  our  service.  Let  us  lift  up  our  hearts  in  con- 
secration and  in  prayer  and  God  will  use  what  we  bring,  and  there 
will  he  one  church  in  Russia  for  the  salvation  of  that  great 
people. 


PROPHECY  AND  PRESENT-DAY  EVENTS 

By    ROBERT    M.    RUSSELL,    D.    D.,    LL.    D.,    of    the   Moody    Bible 

Institute 

OLD  Testament  prophecy  does  not  throw  specific  light  on  pres- 
ent-day events.  Old  Testament  prophecy  concerns  Israel  and 
deals  with  the  world  nations  only  so  far  as  they  are  con- 
nected with  Israel's  career  in  God's  covenant  with  Abraham.  The 
Church  age  is  therefore  a  parenthesis  so  far  as  Old  Testament  proph- 
ecy is  concerned.  In  Daniel  9:24-27,  seventy  weeks,  or  490  prophetic 
years,  are  designated  for  the  political  career  of  Israel  from  a  given 
Old  Testament  date.  Sixty-nine  of  these  weeks,  or  483  prophetic 
years,  were  fulfilled  at  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  Christ.  Israel  then 
passes  from  the  stage  so  far  as  the  Old  Testament  prophetic  program 
is  concerijed  and  will  not  return  for  the  last  week  or  the  last  seven 
years  of  her  prophetic  destiny  until  her  return  to  the  promised  land 
and  the  granting  to  her  of  national  existence  as  a  member  of  the 
family  of  nations.  Just  as  it  is  "time  out"  in  the  football  game,  when 
the  quarterback  is  temporarily  disabled,  so  it  is  parenthesis,  or  "time 
out,"  in  the  program  of  prophecy  when  Israel  is  not  specially  con- 
cerned in  the  movement  of  world  nations. 

New  Testament  Prophecy 

New  Testament  prophecy,  however,  throws  a  very  clear  light  upon 
the  Church  era,  making  it  plain  that  in  the  career  of  the  church 
there  would  be  a  development  of  Nicolaitanism,  or  a  disposition  to 
establish  a  ruling  of  the  people  by  ecclesiastical  autocracy,  a  cor- 
ruption of  doctrine  and  the  rejection  of  sound  doctrine,  together  with 
a  great  final  apostasy  from  "the  faith  delivered  once  for  all  unto  the 
saints."  Such  a  view  is  very  unwelcome  to  the  mind  that  is  wedded 
to  a  theory  of  evolution  both  for  the  moral  and  spiritual  progress  of 
humanity,  but  it  is  clearly  set  forth  in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures. 

Our  Lord  gave  warning  concerning  false  teachers,  saying,  "Beware 
of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in  sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly 
they  are  ravening  wolves"  (Matt.  7:15).  Jesus  here  indicates  not  only 
the  possibility  but  the  certainty  that  preachers  and  teachers  hostile 
to  heavenly  truth  would  wear  the  garb  and  seek  the  position  of  an 
orthodox  ministry. 

Paul  had  equally  clear  vision  of  the  future  when  he  addressed  the 
Ephesian  elders,  saying,  "For  I  know  this  that  after  my  departure 
shall    grievous    wolves    enter    in    among   you,    not   sparing   the    flock. 

190 


Robert  31.  Russell  191 

Also  of  your  own  selves  shall  men  arise,  speaking  perverse  things,  to 
draw  away  disciples  after  them  (Acts  20:29,  30).  Paul  is  equally 
clear  as  he  writes  concerning  the  church  and  her  earthly  destiny  to 
Timothy:  "Now  the  Spirit  speaketh  expressly  that  in  the  latter  times 
some  shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits  and 
doctrines  of  demons"  (1  Tim.  4:1).  "The  time  will  come  when  they 
will  not  endure  sound  doctrine,  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they 
heap  to  themselves  teachers,  having  itching  ears.  And  they  shall 
turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth  and  shall  he  turned  unto  fables" 
(2  Tim.  3:4).  Some  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  is  seen  in  present- 
day  life,  when  people  refuse  to  believe  the  miraculous  movements  of 
God  in  human  history  and  then  turn  to  the  absurdities  of  modern 
cults  and  philosophies. 

Peter,  guided  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  realized  that  the  future  would 
not  differ  from  the  past  so  far  as  the  rising  of  false  teachers  and 
their  welcome  by  men  was  concerned,  hence  he  wrote:  "But  there 
were  false  prophets  also  among  the  people,  even  as  there  shall  be 
false  teachers  among  you,  who  privily  shall  bring  in  damnable  here- 
sies, even  denying  the  Lord  who  bought  them,  and  bring  upon  them- 
selves swift  destruction.  And  many  shall  follow  their  pernicious 
ways,  by  reason  of  which  the  way  of  truth  shall  be  evil  spoken  of" 
(2  Pet,  2:1,  2).  His  words  certainly  describe  present-day  conditions 
in  the  churches  when  he  says,  "Tliere  shall  come  in  the  last  days 
scoffers,  walking  after  their  own  lusts  and  saying.  Where  is  the 
promise  of  His  coming?  for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep,  all  things 
continue  as  they  were  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation"  (2  Pet. 
3:3,  4).  The  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God  by  a  natural  process  of 
human  evolution,  or  by  "the  development  of  resident  forces,"  instead 
of  through  the  return  of  Jesus,  our  true  King,  is  maintained  by  many 
who  still  profess  to  accept  the  Bible  as  authority  on  matters  of 
religion. 

The  beloved  disciple  John  furnished  a  test  by  which  false  teachers 
can  be  discerned  when  he  wrote:  "Beloved,  believe  not  every  spirit, 
but  try  the  spirits  whether  they  are  of  God;  because  many  false 
prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world.  Hereby  know  ye  the  Spirit  of 
God:  every  spirit  that  confesseth  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the 
flesh  is  of  God:  and  every  spirit  that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  come  in  the  flesh  is  not  of  God:  and  this  is  that  spirit  of  anti- 
christ, whereof  we  have  heard  that  it  should  come;  and  even  now 
already  is  in  the  world"  (1  John  4:1,  3).  Any  modern  "ism"  may 
be  tested  by  inquiring  its  attitude  to  the  incarnation.  All  false  re- 
ligions deny  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh.  When  the  spirit 
of  antichrist  begins  to  find  expression  in  supposedly  orthodox  creeds, 
there  is  denial  that  Jesus  Christ  is  coming  a  second  time. 


192  Prophecy  and  Fresent-Day  Events 

New  Testament  Prophecy   Fulfilled 

It  can  hardly  be  doubted  by  those  who  read  current  literature  and 
take  note  of  pulpit  utterances  among  the  liberals  of  theology,  that 
almost  everything  ascribed  to  the  Holy  Spirit  is  denied  in  our  day. 
The  Bible  is  viewed  as  a  mere  human  book  of  Hebrew  literature.  The 
virgin  birth  of  Jesus  is  denied,  or  ascribed  to  a  natural  process  of 
parthenogenesis.  Regeneration  is  viewed  as  a  movement  of  adoles- 
cence. Nowhere  is  there  place  for  the  presence  and  movement  of 
God  by  His  Spirit  in  human  life.  With  many,  matter,  force,  and  mo- 
tion constitute  the  only  trinity  with  which  the  inquiring  mind  has 
to  do  in  dealing  with  the  mystery  of  existence  and  the  issues  thereof. 

A  Christless  Christianity 

The  tendency  of  modern  times  is  to  secure  progress  by  elimination. 
Among  desirable  features  we  have  the  horseless  carriage,  the  fireless 
cooker,  the  iceless  refrigerator,  the  spineless  cactus,  the  painless 
dentist;  and  we  are  hoping  for  the  day  of  the  odorless  onion,  the 
boneless  shad  and  the  kaiserless  world.  Elimination  however,  can 
mark  degeneracy,  and  this  is  true  when  there  is  tendency  toward  the 
loveless  marriage,  the  childless  home  and  a  Christless  Christianity. 
This  latter  has  certain  marked  fej^tures  which  take  the  form  of  very 
definite  substitutions  eliminating  God  and  His  power  from  human 
life  and  activity: 

1.  Human  Reason  for  Divine  Revelation. 

2.  Human   Attainment   for   Divine   Obtainment. 

3.  Political  Philosophy  for  Bible  Prophecy. 

4.  The  Advancement  of  Humanity  for  the  Advent  of  the  Son 

of  Man. 

5.  Social    Reorganization    for    the    Regeneration    of    the    Indi- 

vidual,   or    the    Substitution    of    Effort    for   a    Social    By- 
product of  Christianity,  for  the  Prime  Product. 

Human   Reason   Versus   Divine   Revelation 

The  Bible  lays  claim  to  being  a  revelation  of  God.  It  is  His  un- 
veiling of  truth  which  lies  beyond  the  reach  of  human  reason.  The 
character  of  God  is  described  and  the  movements  of  His  grace  toward 
men  defined.  Christianity  is  distinctly  differentiated  from  all  the 
other  religions  of  humanity  in  that  all  world  religions  simply  reveal 
the  helpless  efforts  of  men  to  find  God,  or  the  counterfeits  of  Satan 
exploited  to  a  hungry  world,  while  Christianity  represents  the  suc- 
cessful effort  of  God  to  find  man  and  the  presentation  of  that  which  is 
furnished  for  needy  man  by  the  living  and  true  God.     The  Bible  is 


Robert  M.  Russell  193 

presented  as  infallible  and  authoritative,  because  "men  spake  from 
God  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit"    (2  Pet.  1:21). 

In  opposition  to  all  this  there  is  modern  denial  of  all  the  funda- 
mental facts  of  Bible  revelation,  and  this  by  men  ordained  to  the 
Christian  ministry  and  still  holding  pulpits  in  orthodox  denomina- 
tions. I  have  in  mind  one  minister  of  a  prominent  church  in  one  of 
our  leading  evangelical  denominations,  a  man  who  holds  high  place 
among  his  ministerial  brethren  and  often  serves  on  prominent  de- 
nominational committees,  and  yet  in  somewhat  recent  conversation, 
he  denied  belief  in  all  the  great  fundamentals  of  Christianity,  such  as 
the  Inspiration  of  the  Bible,  the  Deity  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Virgin 
Birth  of  Jesus,  the  Reality  of  Christ's  miracles,  the  fact  of  His  Resur- 
rection, the  Personality  of  Satan,  the  Reality  of  Hell,  the  New  Birth 
for  Human  Redemption,  and  in  fact,  the  reality  of  anything  beyond 
the  realm  of  naturalism.  Still  he  passes  as  a  spiritual  leader  in  a 
great  orthodox  denomination.  Another  clergyman  professing  scholar- 
ship and  associated  with  a  leading  evangelical  denomination  talks  of 
the  possibility  of  modern  archaeological  discoveries  in  Palestine 
which  may  secure  for  us  not  only  the  tomb  of  Christ,  but  His  em- 
balmed body.     The  resurrection  of  Jesus  was  thus  denied. 

Coupled  with  denial  of  the  resurrection,  is  to  be  found  looseness 
of  belief  and  lack  of  faith  concerning  all  the  great  truths  that  are 
certified  to  the  world  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus.  After  a  comfort- 
able  dinner  a  doctor  of  divinity  of  an  evangelical  denomination  con- 
veyed to  me  his  conclusion  on  matters  of  religion.  He  said  that  he 
rejected  all  authority  and  depended  upon  the  results  of  his  reason. 
To  him  the  Pentateuch  was  of  doubtful  Mosaic  authorship  and  cer- 
tainly contained  many  "folk-lore  stories."  Paul  was  declared  to  have 
garbled  the  teachings  of  Jesus  and  to  have  foisted  upon  the  world  a 
doctrine  of  the  church  that  would  have  been  severely  condemned  by 
the  Master.  Regarding  his  own  outlook  for  immortality,  the  com- 
fortable doctor  yawned  and  said  that  he  was  not  sure  concerning  the 
future,  and  did  not  much  care;  that  if  it  pleased  the  great  Author  of 
all  things  to  snuff  out  his  existence  after  ten  or  fifteen  years  more  of 
world  life,  he  would  register  no  protest,  for  he  had  had  "a  bully  good 
time"  while  here.  Such  thought  and  utterance  is  even  less  than 
pagan.  It  not  only  betrays  the  numbing  of  the  soul's  finer  aspirations, 
but  ignores  history  and  gives  expression  to  twaddle  just  as  if  Jesus 
Christ  had  never  lived  and  had  never  died. 

Reason  in  Religion 

Reason  has  a  true  place  in  religion.  Man  is  not  asked  to  lay  aside 
his  reason  in  becoming  a  Christian,  but  is  asked  to  accept  the  revela- 


194  Prophecy  mid  Present-Day  Events 

tion  of  God  so  he  can  do  better  reasoning  in  life's  task.  Faith  is  not 
as  a  boy  said,  "Believing  what  we  know  is  not  true,"  but  faith  is 
accepting  what  we  know  to  be  true  because  of  Divine  credentials 
accompanying  revelation.  It  should  not  be  hard  to  believe  that  the 
Creator  of  all  things  would  desire  fellowship  with  the  highest  beings 
of  His  creation.  It  is  reasonable  that  God  should  be  a  self-manifest- 
ing God.  Any  kind  of  scientific  thinking  demands  that  this  be  so,  for 
every  organ  in  our  bodies  has  a  corresponding  feature  of  environ- 
ment, the  eye  being  confronted  with  light,  the  ear  with  sound,  the 
lungs  with  air,  and  the  olfactory  nerves  with  odor.  Our  moral 
organism  also  has  environment  as  instincts  of  friendship  reach  out 
and  find  friends.  Shall  man  be  a  contradiction  in  his  higher  nature 
only  and  find  no  manifested  God  in  answer  to  intuitions  of  conscience 
and  the  cry  of  the  soul  for  divine  fatherhood?  Divine  revelation 
puts  a  high  premium  on  reason  in  that  it  reveals  so  many  facts. 
Modern  rejection  of  Divine  revelation  and  the  substitution  of  human 
reason  therefor,  is  a  sign  of  the  littleness  rather  than  the  greatness 
of  our  age.  Intellects  such  as  Socrates,  Plato  and  Aristarchus  would 
have  bowed  in  the  presence  of  Jesus,  for  their  writings  betray  yearn- 
ing for  a  manifested  God. 

Attainment  Versus  Obtainnient 

• 
The  Gospel  presents  salvation  as  an  obtainment  from  God  rather 
than  an  attainment  of  man.  In  John  1:12,  13,  it  is  written  of  Christ 
the  true  Light,  "As  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to 
become  the  Sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  His  name: 
who  were  born  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the 
will  of  man,  but  of  God."  Again,  in  John  3:3,  we  read:  "Except  a 
man  be  born  from  above,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  not  a  realm  into  which  man  rises  by  his  own 
attainments,  but  into  which  he  is  invited  by  the  touch  of  life  from 
above.  Not  only  so,  but  his  true  living  is  an  obtainment  of  a  Divine 
power.  Jesus  said:  "I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches;  he  that 
abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit;  for 
apart  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing."  Here  Christian  fruit-bearing  is 
distinctly  the  result  of  union  with  Christ  and  the  receiving  of  His 
Imparted  life.  In  perfect  accord  with  this  is  Paul's  description  of  the 
Christian  life  in  Galatians  2:20,  where  all  is  described  to  an  indwell- 
ing obtainment:  "I  am  crucified  with  Christ;  nevertheless  I  live;  yet 
not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me;  and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the 
flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave 
Himself  for  me." 


Bohert  M.  Russell  195 

All  this  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the  spirit  of  modern  "ism." 
Salvation  by  character,  rather  than  character  by  salvation,  is  the 
motto  of  modern  Unitarianism.  That  man  must  save  himself  is  the 
creed  of  those  who  reject  Christ.  Writers  who  scorn  the  Bible  doctrine 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  born  in  humanity  to  furnish  a  new  Adam  for 
the  race  and  a  way  of  salvation  through  obtainment  of  pardon  and 
life  through  Him,  are  multiplying  books  to  prove  salvation  by 
struggle  and  attainment,  and  instead  of  life  through  union  with 
Christ,  they  hold  out  the  possibilities  of  reaching  eternal  peace 
through  multiplied  incarnations  and  self-discipline  during  each  period 
of  progressive  incarnation.  Attainment  for  obtainment  is  a  damning 
heresy.  All  systems  that  emphasize  the  human  rather  than  the 
divine  are  anti-Christian.  Eddyism,  or  "Science,"  falsely  so-called,  is 
distinctly  anti-Christian  in  that  it  presents  Mrs.  Eddy  as  having  re- 
discovered a  principle  which  Jesus  once  knew  and  practiced  and 
then  presenting  to  the  world  a  system  of  living  by  affirming  truth 
and  denying  error  without  special  reference  to  the  risen  Christ.  The 
fact  is,  anyone  who  proposes  to  practice  the  principles  of  Christian 
Science  can,  after  learning  them,  get  along  nicely  without  either 
Jesus  or  Mrs.  Eddy.  It  is  a  creed  without  a  Christ,  a  plan  without  a 
Person,  a  system  of  salvation  without  a  Saviour.  It  is  in  line  with 
other  systems  which  substitute  attainment  for  obtainment. 

Political  Philosophy  Versus  Bible  Prophecy 

A  third  mark  of  a  Christless  Christianity  is  the  substitution  of 
political  philosophy  for  Bible  prophecy.  The  Bible  is  the  story  of 
world  redemption.  Its  history  and  its  prophecy  taken  together  cover 
the  whole  course  of  time.  The  coming  ages  are  programmed  in 
prophecy  and  if  we  are  as  careful  to  study  the  meaning  of  prophecy 
as  we  are  in  studying  history,  we  can  know  approximately  what  is  to 
come  to  pass  in  the  world  as  surely  as  through  history  we  know  what 
has  come  to  pass.  It  is  here  that  a  Christless  Christianity  breaks'  with 
true  faith.  The  Bible  makes  it  plain  that  wars  and  desolations  will 
continue  until  our  Lord  Himself,  the  Prince  of  Peace,  shall  return. 
Daniel,  in  forecasting  the  future  (Dan.  9:24,  27),  makes  this  plain 
that  "Even  unto  the  end  shall  be  war;  desolations  are  determined." 
No  other  meaning  can  be  attached  to  our  Lord's  Olivet  discourse 
(Matt.  24:6,  8).  Believers  are  urged  not  to  be  disturbed  by  wars  and 
rumors  of  wars,  seeing  that  these  things  belong  to  the  world-program 
and  must  come  to  pass.  Moreover,  the  rising  of  the  nations  against 
each  other  together,  with  the  devastations  of  famine,  pestilence  and 


196  Propliecy  and  Present-Day  Events 

earthquakes,  are  to  be  viewed  as  the  birth-pains  of  a  new  age  which 
shall  continue  until  this  new  age  is  born  by  the  presence  of  Christ  in 
world-judgment. 

Foolish    World    Optimism 

In  the  face  of  all  that  the  Bible  teaches  concerning  the  con- 
tinuance of  war  during  the  present  age,  religious  teachers  of  high 
world  standard  persist  in  their  dream  of  world  peace  without  the 
presence  of  our  glorified  Lord.  In  the  summer  of  1914,  a  well  known 
clergyman  had  for  the  subject  of  his  Chautauqua  lecture  tour, 
"Universal  Peace."  It  went  fairly  well  with  him  and  his  audiences 
during  May  and  June,  but  in  July  the  chariot  wheels  of  his  thought 
sank  heavily  in  the  sands  of  reality,  while  in  the  world-war  which 
began  August  1st,  all  his  dreams  of  peace  were  obliterated.  The 
same  mental  processes  are  being  repeated  regarding  the  future.  In 
the  face  of  present  world-woe,  we  are  asked  to  think  what  wonders 
have  been  accomplished  through  the  Hague  Tribunal  and  are  assured 
of  a  speedy  international  organization  that  will  forever  prohibit  war. 
Those  who  believe  God's  Word,  will  not  be  deluded  by  false  prophets 
and  their  messages.  It  seems  a  bit  presumptuous  for  those  who  told 
of  universal  peace  prior  to  1914  to  again  ask  the  ear  and  confidence  of 
the  people.  It  is  time  that  Bible  prophecy  should  take  the  place  that 
has  previously  been  given  to  political  philosophy  in  world  thoughts. 

Human  Advancement  Versus  Christ's  Advent 

A  fourth  and  most  significant  mark  of  Christless  Christianity  is 
the  substitution  of  human  advancement  for  Christ's  advent,  or  the 
setting  of  human  hope  on  the  advancement  of  the  sons  of  men  rather 
than  on  the  advent  of  the  Son  of  Man.  Nothing  is  more  plainly 
taught  in  God's  Word  than  that  the  glorious  advent  of  the  world's 
Saviour  is  to  constitute  the  believer's  hope.  Old  Testament  passages 
such  as  Isaiah  2:2-4;  11:1-6;  Micah  4:1-7;  5:4-9;  together  with 
Zechariah  14:1-21,  make  it  evident  that  nothing  but  the  glorious 
manifestation  of  Israel's  Messiah  will  bring  world-peace.  In  the 
New  Testament,  Acts  1:11;  Titus  2:11-14;  Revelation  1:7  and  scores 
of  other  passages  reveal  that  Christ's  return  is  to  be  the  believer's 
hope.  Yet,  in  the  face  of  all  this,  the  professed  expounders  of  the 
Bible  are  continually  pointing  to  human  progress  as  the  goal  of 
blessedness.  A  noted  preacher  crystalized  his  theology  of  hope  in 
the  words,  "The  advancement  of  the  sons  of  men  is  the  advent  of  the 
Son  of  Man."  No  sane  exegesis  can  admit  such  an  interpretation  of 
the  glorious  promises  concerning  the  advent  of  our  Lord.     It  is  the 


Robert  M.  Russell  197 

marvel  of  our  age  that  the  world  does  not  see  that  its  progress  ■  in 
invention  and  manufacture  has  but  added  to  the  horror  of  its  con- 
flicts and  that  some  power  higher  than  that  of  man  is  needed  to 
moderate  human  ambition  and  curb  human  lust. 

By-Products  Versus  Main  Product 

A  further  mark  of  tendency  toward  a  Christless  Christianity  is  the 
disposition  to  place  the  emphasis  of  thought  and  effort  upon  the 
by-products  of  Christianity  rather  than  upon  the  main  product. 
The  object  of  Christ's  coming  was  to  lead  sinful  men  to  God.  All 
human  woe  has  come  through  separation  from  God.  All  human 
blessedness  will  be  achieved  by  return  to  Him  and  fellowship  with 
Him.  It  is  desirable  that  men  shall  live  hygienically  and  that  man 
shall  have  mastery  of  nature's  forces  for  wide  travel  and  the  enjoy- 
ment of  all  things  material.  These,  however,  together  with  social 
reforms  are  the  by-products  of  Christianity.  Higher  methods  of 
living,  larger  social  fellowship,  and  international  peace  will  all  be 
fostered  as  men  individually  come  to  know  God.  Our  Lord  recognized 
this  and  so  dealt  with  the  individual,  welcoming  Nicodemus  for  a 
midnight  conference,  and  pouring  out  His  fullest  revelation  to  one 
woman  at  the  well  of  Jacob.  One  of  His  most  earnest  questions  was: 
"What  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?"  He  also  said: 
"There  is  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth."  His  com- 
mission for  world  evangelization  was,  "Preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature,"  meaning  that  each  individual  man  is  to  be  confronted 
with  the  glad  news  of  the  heavenly  Father's  love  and  the  divine 
sacrifice  which  opens  the  way  of  eternal  life.  When  Christ's  commis- 
sion is  carried  out,  all  phases  of  world  blessedness  follow.  Saved  men 
become  better  fathers,  better  neighbors,  better  business  men,  better 
citizens,  and  there  is  trend  of  world  life  toward  kingdom  righteous- 
ness. Indeed,  this  is  the  shortest  road  for  all  great  reforms,  hence 
Paul  did  not  pause  in  his  Gospel  efforts  to  organize  anti-slavery  so- 
cieties or  even  temperance  leagues.  The  Gospel  effort  that  saves  the 
individual  will,  as  a  by-product,  save  society.  But  in  the  face  of  all 
this,  we  have  a  reversal  of  method  and  the  modern  cry  for  social 
service  in  forms  that  have  small  reference  to  Christ  Himself  and  His 
message  for  the  individual.  Much  settlement  work  takes  the  form 
of  simply  planting  a  model  aesthetic  home  in  a  demoralized  community 
believing  that  its  light  will  dispel  the  darkness  of  sin.  There  is  also 
in  these  days  the  notion  that  a  federation  of  churches  into  an  inter- 
denominational fellowship  means  world-redemption.  "Get  together," 
instead  of  "get  to  God,"  is  the  cry  of  modern  Christendom,  with  for- 
getfulness  of  the  fact  that  a  "get-together  movement"  without  primary 
thought  of  God  gave  the  Babel  of  history  and  is  not  likely  to  produce 


198  Prophecy  cmd  Present-Day  Events 

better  results  in  modern  times.  It  is  to  the  shame  of  modern  ambition 
for  so-called  Christian  unity  that  preachers  of  evangelical  denomina- 
tions are  pleading  for  a  church  life  which  will  "find  within  its  fellow- 
ship Jew  and  Gentile,  Protestant  and  Catholic,  Trinitarian  and  Uni- 
tarian, ritualist  and  evangelist,  native  and  foreigner,  rich  and  poor, 
black,  white  and  yellow  ....  and  every  one"  who  has  some  concep- 
tion of  being  religious.  One  advocate  of  such  a  universal  church  says: 
"I  have  seen  so-called  atheists  who  would  not  hurt  such  a  spiritual 
fellowship  in  the  least."  The  public  announcement  that  church  build- 
ings are  being  dedicated  to  this  broad  sort  of  religious  occupation  is 
to  many  a  sign  that  the  millennium  is  almost  here.  Some  are  so  much 
touched  by  the  seeing  of  the  denominations  worshipping  together 
that  they  have  forgotten  that  all  this  can  be  a  mere  human  movement 
and  the  mark  of  that  Christless  Christianity  concerning  which  our 
Lord  uttered  the  rebuke  addressed  to  the  Laodicean  church:  "So  then 
because  thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot  (indifferent  to 
fundamental  truths),  I  will  spew  thee  out  of  my  mouth.  Because  thou 
sayest,  I  am  rich,  and  increased  in  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing; 
and  knowest  not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and 
blind,  and  naked." 

Present  Worlcl-Need 

While  New  Testament  prophecy  is  very  definite  in  its  assertions 
that  there  will  be  "a  falling  away"  from  the  faith  once  for  all  de- 
livered unto  the  saints,  this  but  increases  the  responsibility  of  those 
who  know  the  truth.  Instead  of  cherishing  a  foolish  world  optimism 
concerning  the  future,  believers  should  look  into  the  future  through 
the  lenses  of  the  Divine  Word  and  in  the  promises  of  God  find  both 
strength  and  peace.  Many  in  our  day  can  echo  the  inquiry  of  Daniel: 
"0  my  lord,  what  shall  be  the  issue  of  these  things?"  The  reply  made 
to  the  prophet  has  its  lesson  for  believers  of  today.  The  angel  said: 
"Go  thy  way,  Daniel:  for  the  words  are  shut  up  and  sealed  till  the 
time  of  the  end."  This  makes  it  plain  that  many  things  of  the 
prophetic  program  will  not  be  understood  until  they  happened,  but 
as  they  do  happen,  believers  will  check  them  up  with  prophecy  and 
be  strengthened  in  faith.  The  angel  also  said:  "Many  shall  purify 
themselves,  and  make  themselves  white,  and  be  refined;  but  the  wicked 
shall  do  wickedly;  and  none  of  the  wicked  shall  understand:  but  they 
that  be  wise  shall  understand."  Here  there  is  warning  concerning 
the  period  of  "the  great  tribulation"  and  also  the  statement  that  the 
wicked  and  worldly  will  continue  blind  to  the  movements  of  God. 
The  blessed  assurance  of  future  reward  as  well  as  command  for  pres- 
ent duty,  is  also  given.    "But  go  thou  thy  way  till  the  end  be:  for  thou 


Robert  M.  Russell  199 

Shalt  rest,  and  shalt  stand  in  thy  lot,  at  the  end  of  the  days"  (Dan. 
12:13).  Daniel's  duty  as  he  waited  the  unfolding  of  the  prophetic 
program  was  to  do  his  every-day  duties,  managing  the  political  affairs 
of  the  province  of  Babylon  in  such  way  as  to  bring  the  highest  good 
to  living  men.  Beyond  this  lay  the  assured  reward  which  would  be 
his  in  the  final  accounting.  The  Christian  of  today  is  called  upon 
to  serve  his  generation  in  every  practical  way,  nourishing  his  life  by 
prayer,  study  of  the  Word,  and  meditation  even  as  did  Daniel,  yet 
realizing  that  the  coming  of  his  Lord  is  the  goal  of  hope. 


A  SYMPOSIUM 

The   Practicability  of  Reaching'  the^Russian'and  Slavonic 

Peoples  of  Europe  Through  Their  Brothers  Now 

in  the  United  States  and  Canada 

PROF.  I.  V.  NEPRASH  of  Philadelphia 

MY  heart  was  stirred  yesterday  when  I  listened  to  the  brethren 
talk  about  the  foreign  people  in  America.  God  bless  you, 
especially  you  dear  co-workers  among  our  Russian  brethren! 
I  believe  personal  work  among  them  is  the  best.  I  was  told  last  night 
about  a  worker  who  went  along  the  streets  of  Chicago  in  a  dark  place. 
It  was  in  the  night,  and  he  saw  a  small  house,  just  a  barracks  more 
than  a  house.  It  was  very  hard  to  find  the  entrance,  but  he  found  it 
and  went  in  and  saw  some  Russians  drinking.  They  began  to  threaten 
him.  "How  could  you  come  in?  Aren't  you  afraid?"  "Oh,  no,  I  am 
not  afraid."  "What  are  you  doing  here?  What  is  your  purpose? 
Aren't  you  afraid  we  will  hurt  you,  or  kill  you?"  "Oh,  I  am  not  alone, 
so  I  am  not  afraid."  They  looked  in  the  entrance  to  see  if  anyone 
came  with  him,  and  they  didn't  see  anybody  there.  "Who  is  with 
you?"  Then  he  told  them:  "God  is  with  me.  I  will  speak  about 
Him."  And  then  the  Russians  took  off  their  hats,  and  it  means  some- 
thing. The  appearance  of  a  man,  better  dressed  than  they,  who  comes 
to  them  with  peace  on  his  face  and  with  love — it  impresses  the  Russian 
people  more  than  anything  else.  Therefore  I  am  glad  that  our  Insti- 
tute was  established  in  America  and  not  in  Russia.  You  know  many 
of  the  Russians  who  had  been  exiled  to  foreign  countries  because  of 
their  political  opinions,  are  now  back,  especially  from  America;  and 
if  some  brethren  and  sisters  will  go  back  to  Russia  now  as  Christians, 
the  people  will  receive  more  from  them  in  Russia,  because  they  will 
give  them  some  signs  of  their  new  life.  God  bless  these  friends  that 
are  working!  God  bless  the  students  who  are  preparing  for  the  field! 
God  bless  the  Tract  Society  here  in  Chicago,  which  is  doing  its  great 
work! 

MR.   HENRY  SINGER  of  Toronto 

I  want  to  say  just  a  word.  While  I  have  been  engaged  for  thirty 
years  in  work  for  the  Jews,  the  Lord  has  given  me  a  heart  for  these 
people  of  the  Slavonic  races.  Since  I  realized  the  love  of  God  for 
me,  and  since  I  loved  my  Saviour,  I  love  the  Slavonic  people,  I  love 

200 


A  Symposium  201 

every  one  of  them.  I  love  the  Jews.  Of  course,  I  can't  help  doing 
that,  but  I  love  the  Slavs  just  as  much.  In  my  work  among  them,  I 
have  found  that  it  is  easier  to  convert  a  Slav  than  a  Jew.  Some  of 
my  Jewish  brethren  hate  to  have  me  tell  that,  but  it  is  the  truth.  Our 
mission  in  Toronto  is  right  among  seven  Jewish  synagogues,  but  many 
times  I  have  more  people  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  from  the  Slavic 
races  in  that  mission  than  of  the  Jews,  and  I  want  you  all  to  help 
give  them  the  Gospel. 

MR.   GOTTFRIED  BUSCH  of   Chicago 

I  thank  God  for  a  Gospel  that  came  into  our  hands  in  the  old 
country  the  Gospel  of  Matthew.  My  father  died  when  I  was  nine 
years  old.  I  don't  remember  how  old  I  was  when  I  got  this  Gospel, 
but  just  a  little  fellow,  and  I  read  it.  It  took  me  a  long  time  to  read 
some  of  the  passages,  but  they  went  right  to  my  heart.  And  when  I 
heard  somebody  discuss  anything,  I  would  quote  some  little  verse  out 
of  that  Gospel.  My  mother  found  it  out  one  day,  and  she  said:  "Where 
did  you  get  all  this?"  I  said:  "From  this  little  book."  "Where  did 
you  get  the  book?"  Well,  I  had  found  it  in  our  house  and  I  told  her 
where  I  got  it.  Mother  said,  "No,  you  must  not  read  that  little  book. 
In  church  the  priest  said  last  Sunday  that  we  are  not  allowed  to  read 
that  book."  So  she  took  it  from  me  and  destroyed  it,  but  thank  God 
the  seed  has  not  left  my  heart  since. 

A  friend  of  mine  and  I  visited  a  man  once  in  Hammond,  Indiana, 
and  he  said,  "Brethren,  you  know  why  I  am  so  glad  to  read  my  Bible? 
It  is  because  a  little  tract  was  sent  to  me  in  Galicia.  I  read  it.  I 
knew  we  were  forbidden  to  read  the  Bible,  but  I  read  that  little 
tract;  and  as  soon  as  I  could  get  a  Bible  I  was  glad  to  read  it,  too." 
I  thank  God  this  young  man  is  a  member  of  a  Christian  church  today. 
Well,  I  know  a  good  many  cases  like  that.  One  Sunday  morning  I 
was  standing  in  front  of  our  mission.  There  was  a  young  fellow 
going  by,  dressed  in  his  working  clothes.  I  invited  him  in,  but  he 
excused  himself  and  said  he  didn't  want  to  go  in.  So  I  handed  him  a 
New  Testament  and  told  him  he  could  keep  it,  because  he  said  he  had 
no  money  to  pay  for  it.  About  a  year  after  that  I  called  on  this  man 
at  his  home  and  he  told  me  that  he  wished  all  the  Poles  would  get 
as  much  blessing  out  of  that  little  book  as  he  had. 

MR.  li.  B.  TROWBRIDGE  of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society 

I  think  it  was  John  R.  Mott  who  said:  "If  we  had  the  right  kind 
of  enthusiasm  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ  we  would  be  training  these 
foreigners  in  our  country  by  the  thousands  to  go  as  missionaries  to 


202  Ueacliing  tlie  Uussian  and  Slavonic  Peoples 

their  own  people."  That  thought  has  been  growing  upon  me  for  many 
months.  The  workers  of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society  and  other  Chris- 
tian workers  have  been  going  about  among  these  people,  giving  them 
the  Bible  and  Christian  literature,  and  sowing  the  seed.  I  believe  we 
are  all  of  the  opinion  now  that  it  is  time  to  thrust  the  sickle  into  the 
harvest  and  reap.  As  I  was  sitting  here  this  morning  I  just  wondered 
if  it  were  not  God's  time  for  us  to  get  out  and  press  these  people  into 
the  kingdom  of  Christ.  If  we  could  have  a  concerted  movement  among 
these  foreign  communities,  with  a  mighty  background  of  prayer,  and 
with  people  that  can  speak  these  languages, — I  believe  we  could  bring 
these  people  by  the  hundreds  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Then,  after 
we  have  them,  we  must  put  them  into  schools  like  Pastor  Fetler's  of 
Philadelphia,  and  start  other  schools,  if  necessary,  for  training  these 
people  with  great  enthusiasm,  to  go  into  their  own  communities  in  this 
country,  or  into  the  foreign  lands,  to  bring  their  people  to  Christ. 

MRS.   MYRA  BOYINGTON   GRUPE, 
Field  Representative  of  Jewish  Work,  Chicago 

Sixteen  years  ago,  on  the  25th  of  May,  I  was  wonderfully  converted. 
In  about  six  weeks  I  attended  a  missionary  rally  and  offered  myself 
for  service  in  Africa.  I  was  too  old  for  any  board  to  accept,  and  so  I 
began  to  ask  God  to  prepare  me  for  what  He  chose,  and  He  opened 
my  life  to  prayer.  Some  one  gave  me  the  text:  "Ask  of  me,  and  I 
will  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession."  I  began  to  pray  very  definitely 
and  earnestly.  The  Lord  has  told  us  to  go  into  all  the  world.  Some  of 
us  cannot  go,  but  we  can  pray.  Some  of  us  cannot  give  money,  but  we 
can  give  time  to  prayer.  When  you  meet  missionaries,  do  you  realize 
that  God  wants  you  to  remember  them  definitely,  and  you  can  have  a 
part  in  their  work  in  this  way?  Oh,  may  God  help  us  along  these 
lines  to   reach  these  people  of  Russia! 

MR.  MOSES  H.  GITLIX  of  llie  Russian  Bible  Institute,  Philadelphia 

Once  upon  a  time  two  of  our  students  were  in  the  office  of  Pastor 
Fetler.  He  had  a  newspaper  in  his  hand  and  he  said:  "Here  is  a 
girl  that  is  looking  for  a  husband.  Why  couldn't  we  take  notice  of 
these  advertisements  and  send  such  people  a  tract,  so  that  instead  of 
finding  a.  husband  she  might  find  Jesus?"  So  he  gave  me  some  money 
and  said:  "Here  is  money  for  stamps,  let  us  start  an  evangelistic 
campaign  this  way."  So  we  started  it,  and  praise  God  the  next  week 
we  got  letters  from  people  that  said  they  enjoyed  the  reading.  Let 
me  tell  you,  I  believe  that  is  one  of  the  best  ways  of  reaching  the 


A  Symposium  203 

Russian  people,  or  any  other  people.  Many  a  man  wouldn't  care  to 
stand  on  the  street  corner  and  listen  to  a  preacher.  Another  man 
wouldn't  let  you  into  his  home,  but  he  will  read  a  tract,  if  you  send 
it  to  him.  The  Russians,  especially  the  common  folks,  have  no  waste 
baskets  in  their  houses.  They  won't  throw  away  a  letter,  they  won't 
throw  away  anything.  A  man  receives  a  tract,  he  will  keep  it  in  his 
pocket  until  it  is  worn  out.  If  Pastor  Fetler,  or  the  Chicago  Tract 
Society  would  take  up  this  method  of  getting  hold  of  the  Russians,  I 
think  it  would  be  a  fine  way  of  reaching  them. 

PROF.  DE  SHERBININ 

I  want  to  tell  you,  dear  Christian  friends,  that  it  was  a  very  inspir- 
ing talk  we  just  heard.  Let  us  go  back  to  the  good  old  English 
proverb:  "Where  there  is  a  will,  there  is  a  way."  I  am  a  little  bit 
sick  of  the  talk  of  systems,  or  organizations,  and  that  kind  of  thing. 
Of  course,  it  is  very  good  to  have  systems  and  organizations,  but  when 
there  are  such  vital  matters  to  treat,  then  let  us  not  bother  about  the 
system,  let  us  get  at  the  heart  of  the  matter.  The  poorest  system  of 
course  is  better  than  no  system  at  all,  and,  therefore  if  you  have  a 
poor  system,  come  along  with  your  poor  system  and  help.  If  there  is 
a  fire,  people  will  not  criticise  me  because  I  take  a  poor  pail  and  help 
to  quench  the  fire.  And  if  the  pail  is  red  or  blue  or  green,  people  will 
not  criticise  me  for  that. 

You  know  that  beautiful  text:  "They  divided  my  garments  among 
them,  and  for  my  vesture  did  they  cast  lots."  There  is  so  much  divid- 
ing of  truth  these  days.  One  denomination  studies  a  beautiful  truth 
and  they  fondle  it  and  press  it  to  their  bosoms  and  run  away  with  that 
beautiful  truth.  Another  Christian  denomination  comes  along  and 
gets  hold  of  another  truth  and  runs  away  with  that.  The  third  one 
runs  away  with  another  truth.  But  that  doesn't  affect  Christ.  He  is 
the  living  Christ,  the  invisible  Christ.  It  is  only  His  garments  that 
those  who  crucified  him  divided  and  ran  away  with. 

If  you  thank  Christ  for  what  He  has  given  you,  it  doesn't  mean  that 
you  are  a  Christian.  So  did  the  soldiers,  I  am  sure.  They  thanked 
Him  for  what  they  got  from  Him  and  ran  away  with  it.  That  didn't 
affect  vital  Christianity.  Vital  Christianity  is  Christ  Jesus  living  in 
you  and  me  by  faith— Christ  in  us  the  Hope  of  Glory.  What  has  been 
divided  is  not  the  vital  Christ.  It  is  only  His  garments.  I  hope  that 
you  and  I  will  not  be  in  the  last  day  among  those  who  divided  His  cor- 
ruptible things,  and  who  crucified  Him  at  the  same  time.  I  want  that 
we  may  be  among  those  who  laid  hold  of  His  indivisible,  vital  Spirit, 
His  very  life,  and  who  gave  praise  to  God  for  that  life  and  who  live 
it  out  and  show  it  forth  to  the  world. 


204  Reaching  the  Russian  and  Slavonic  Peoples 

MR.   C.  E.  PUTNAM  of  Richmond,  Kansas 

I  just  want  to  ask  a  question.  As  a  business  man,  this  subject  ap- 
peals to  me,  "The  Practicability  of  Reaching  the  Slavonic  Peoples 
of  Europe  Through  Their  Brothers  now  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada."  From  what  has  been  said  here,  it  would  seem  to  me  that 
we  have  got  enough  material.  If  we  have  thirty  thousand  Russians 
in  Chicago  and  four  million  Poles  in  the  United  States,  we  have  got 
material  enough  right  here  to  prepare  missionaries  to  go  over  there 
and  carry  the  Gospel  to  those  people.  As  a  business  man,  that  seems 
to  me  to  be  the  practical  thing  to  do.  You  know  some  farmers  have 
a  great  deal  of  machinery.  I  have  seen  farmers  with  practically  no 
machinery  doing  their  work  almost  entirely  without  the  use  of  ma- 
chinery, and  they  have  accomplished  more  than  the  farmers  who  had 
a  good  deal  of  it.  Why?  Because  they  used  the  material  they  had 
and  kept  at  it.  My  thought  is,  that  the  practical  way  would  be  to 
use  the  material  we  have  and  prepare  these  men  to  send  over  there 
and  carry  the  Gospel  to  their  own  people. 

REV.  HOWARD  W.  POPE  of  the  Moody  Bible  Institute 

All  of  us  cannot  go  to  Russia,  and  even  if  we  could,  we  could  only 
reach  a  few  hundred,  or  a  few  thousand  of  those  Russian  people  in 
the  course  of  a  lifetime.  But  there  is  a  way  by  which  every  one  of 
us, — no  matter  how  old  or  how  young,  and  no  matter  what  language 
we  speak, — there  is  a  way  by  which  every  one  of  us  can  reach  every 
one  of  these  Russian  people  and  bring  the  grace  of  God  to  bear 
upon  them. 

About  thirty  years  ago  I  was  preaching  a  series  of  sermons  on 
Abraham,  and  as  I  went  along  I  tried  to  apply  the  teaching  to  my- 
self before  I  gave  it  to  the  people.  I  came  to  the  passage  where 
God  told  Abraham  that  he  should  be  a  blessing  to  all  nations.  "Well," 
I  said,  "Lord,  that's  good.  I  can  see  how  Abraham  through  Christ 
became  a  blessing  to  all  nations.  But  Lord,  how  am  I  going  to  be 
a  blessing  to  all  nations?  I  am  one  of  Thy  children.  I  want  as  much 
as  Brother  Abraham.  Show  me  how  I  can  be  a  blessing  to  all 
people."  And  the  Lord  showed  me  that  by  the  way  of  intercession  I 
could  reach  every  man,  woman  and  child  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  one 
billion,  five  hundred  millions  of  them.  "And  you  can  do  it  every  day 
of  your  life.  You  can  bring  to  bear  upon  them  the  grace  of  God,  to 
create  in  them  a  hunger  and  a  thirst  for  the  truth,  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus,  to  prepare  their  hearts  for  the  coming  of  the  Gospel  and 
the  missionary."  "Well,"  I  said,  "Lord,  if  I  can,  have  mercy  on  me 
if  I  don't."     And  there  has  not  been  a  day  in  my  life  since,  so  far 


A  Symposium  205 

as  I  know,  when  it  has  not  been  one  of  my  petitions  that  God  would 
bless  all  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell,  every  man,  woman  and  child. 
One  of  the  practical  advantages  of  this  is  that  you  never  meet  a  per- 
son whom  you  have  not  prayed  for.  The  majority  of  you  who  are 
here  today  I  have  never  seen  before,  and  yet  there  is  not  one  of  you 
that  I  have  not  prayed  for  thousands  of  times. 

Many  a  time  I  have  met  a  man  on  the  train,  and  in  the  course  of  our 
conversation  I  have  said:  "My  friend,  I  have  prayed  for  you  hundreds 
of  times."  The  man  would  look  at  me  and  say:  "Did  you  ever  see 
me  before?"  "Not  to  my  knowledge."  "Well,  do  you  mean  to  tell  me 
that  you  have  prayed  for  me  then?"  "Yes,  that  is  one  of  the  mysteries 
of  the  kingdom.  If  you  were  a  child  of  God,  you  would  understand 
it.  And  if  you  will  accept  Christ  and  come  into  the  kingdom,  you 
will  find  out  how  it  is  possible  to  do  this,  and  you  will  learn  a  good 
many  other  things  that  you  do  not  know  now."  Friends,  let  every 
one  of  us  remember  that  there  is  one  way  by  which  we  can  reach 
every  Russian  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

MR.  H.  B.  CENTZ  of  the  Russian  Bible  Institute  of  Philadelphia 

There  is  no  doubt  that  in  future  days  Russia  will  look  to  the  Ameri- 
can people  for  leadership  in  many  ways,  and  the  Russian  rank  and 
file  will  look  to  their  brethren  and  sisters  and  the  future  sons  and 
daughters  will  look  to  their  fathers  and  mothers  who  are  now  in 
America  for  leadership  in  both  social  and  religious  matters.  Now,  if 
we  want  to  reach  the  Russian  people  through  their  relatives  and 
through  men  and  women  of  their  own  nationality  now  in  America,  we 
must  be  careful  to  send  back  to  that  land  men  who  are  not  only 
Americanized  but  who  are  thoroughly  Christianized  and  Spirit-filled. 
I  think  here  has  been  one  failure  of  the  churches  in  America.  They 
have  tried  to  Americanize  the  foreigner  more  than  to  Christianize 
him.     I  know  this  from  experience. 

Now,  my  friends,  the  necessary  thing  to  do  is  to  take  up  a  method 
like  that  which  Pastor  Petler  is  trying  to  carry  out.  He  gets  the 
Russians  and  other  Slavonic  people  into  his  school,  not  with  the  idea 
so  much  of  giving  them  a  theological  training  as  with  the  idea  that  if 
God  does  not  call  them  to  active  religious  work  in  the  way  of  minis- 
tering from  the  pulpit,  they  will  still  go  back  to  their  villages  and 
little  towns  and  live  there  the  Christ  life  and  thereby  exert  an  in- 
fluence for  God  over  the  people,  as  they  work  among  them.  The  great 
need  today,  if  we  want  to  reach  the  people  across  the  sea  through  the 
Slavonic  people  who  are  here  in  America,  is  to  be  sure  about  the  con- 
version of  these  people,  and  we  must  think  very  seriously  about  the 
way  their  spiritual  life  is  nurtured  and  safeguarded  before  they  re- 
turn to  their  neglected  relatives   in  Europe. 


206  Beaching  the  Russian  and  Slavonic  Peoples 

MB.  D.  KUiEN,   a  Missionary  from  China 

I  have  just  returned  from  China.  In  our  work  there  we  have  the 
songs  and  hymns,  which  are  used  here  in  America  and  in  England. 
But  those  songs  that  we  sing  with  the  Chinese  do  not  seem  to  take 
very  well.  So  the  Chinese  Christians,  some  of  them,  started  to  com- 
pose their  own  songs  to  their  own  tunes.  They  don't  have  much  tunes 
in  Chinese,  but  those  songs  they  take  home  to  their  hearts  in  a  way 
they  didn't  the  others.  Now  then,  I  think  that  if  some  of  the  Russian 
brethren  instead  of  translating  English  and  American  hymns  into 
Russian,  would  compose  them,  themselves,  in  the  Russian  language, 
they  might  be  found  as  helpful  as  we  have  found  the  Chinese  hymns 
out  in  our  work.     May  God  bless  this  work! 

PROF.  NEPRASH 

I  was  thinking  not  only  about  the  evangelization,  or  how  to  bring 
others  to  Christ,  but  how  to  keep  in  Christ  those  who  are  converted. 
Now  as  far  as  I  know  the  spiritual  standing  of  churches  among  the 
foreign  people,  I  must  confess  that  there  must  be  something  done  not 
only  to  bring  to  Christ,  but  also  to  help  abide  in  Christ.  You  Ameri- 
can people  get  very  much  from  conferences,  like  the  English  people 
at  Keswick,  but  the  Russian  Christians  do  not  have  anything  of  that 
sort.  You  Americans  get  much  blessing  and  help  in  conferences  in 
churches  and  in  Bible  teaching  meetings.  The  Russian  churches  have 
nothing  of  that  kind.  Now  this  is  the  question:  Can  there  be  some- 
thing done  in  this  line?  Think  about  it.  Again,  Christian  friends,  if 
you  want  to  reach  the  Russian  people,  do  it  without  mixing  up  with 
politics.  The  Russian  people  are  afraid  of  politics  in  religion,  because 
of  the  history  of  Russia.  If  you  want  to  make  a  good  citizen  of  a 
Russian,  don't  talk  to  him  of  politics,  but  bring  him  to  Christ,  and 
then  he  will  become  a  good  citizen;  but  if  you  talk  to  make  him  a 
crood  citizen  first,  you  will  only  frighten  him  and  he  will  remain  in 
drunkenness  and  in  all  kinds  of  spiritual  darkness,  and  he  will  never 
become  a  good  citizen  and  a  good  American. 

PASTOR  FETLER 

Now  I  am  very  thankful  to  have  heard  such  a  great  number  of 
friends  express  themselves  upon  such  a  vital  subject.  This  conference 
would  have  remained  rather  poor  in  this  one  respect,  if  the  whole 
attention  had  been  given  only  to  addresses  without  this  discussion. 
Now,  first,  we  must  understand  the  difference  between  general  foreign 
mission  work  such  as  that  in  China,  Africa  and  so  on,  and  the  pro- 
gram which  has  been  placed  before  us  during  this  conference.     The 


A  Symposium  207 

Slavonic  folks  are  on  quite  a  different  basis,  because  there  are  here 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  Russians,  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Ukrain- 
ians, Bohemians  and  Poles  and  all  of  them  have  great  numbers  of 
connections  with  relatives,  their  home  folks,  on  the  other  side. 

Russians  and  Slavs  Here 

Now  I  have  marked  down  here  three  or  four  points  which  I  would 
like  to  emphasize.  All  of  what  has  been  said  seems  to  crystalize 
around  two  important  departments.  First,  how  to  reach  the  Slavonic 
people  in  this  land  in  order  to  get  them  saved  for  evangelistic  work 
among  the  foreigners  here  (by  "here"  meaning  not  only  the  United 
States,  but  also  Canada).  Then  the  other  department,  "How  to  reach 
the  folks  on  the  other  side  after  these  people  on  this  side  have  been 
saved,  and  that  has  been  touched  upon  by  some  of  the  speakers, — to 
train  as  many  as  can  be  influenced  to  give  themselves,  the  whole  of 
their  lives  to  the  Lord's  work,  to  train  them  for  work  among  Russians, 
both  on  the  other  side  and  also  here.  Now,  in  succession,  how  to 
achieve  that,  let  me  make  a  number  of  statements.  First,  let  us  get 
as  large  a  number  as  possible  of  consecrated,  Spirit-filled  missionaries 
and  evangelists.  Already  before  us  is  a  number  of  them,  having  been 
working  in  connection  with  the  Chicago  Tract  Society  and  with  the 
various  home  mission  boards,  as  the  Presbyterian,  the  Baptist,  the 
Methodist,  and  so  on.  Now,  of  course,  we  must  get  as  many  mis- 
sionaries as  possible  to  evangelize  the  foreigners  in  this  country.  I 
emphasize  the  word  "evangelize."  I  mean  exactly  what  that  word 
stands  for,  because,  as  Brother  Neprash  said,  a  great  deal  of  mixture 
has  been  going  on  up  and  down  this  country.  I  know,  for  instance,  of 
a  mission  in  New  York  City  where  a  man  had  been  employed,  a  man 
who  talked  the  Russian  language  quite  fluently;  and  when  I  was  ban- 
ished from  Russia  and  came  to  New  York,  the  flrst  Saturday  I 
noticed  the  Russian  newspaper  announcement  of  a  Russian  Gospel 
meeting.  I  went  to  the  place  with  another  Russian  missionary.  There 
was  nothing  of  the  Gospel.  It  was  a  political  meeting  and  the  speaker 
got  up  before  the  crowd;  and  I  thought,  "That  foolish  fellow."  He 
could  reach  more  people  and  bring  them  to  Christ,  if  he  would  preach 
the  Gospel  and  not  talk  politics.  Now  Christ  said:  "When  I  shall  be 
put  on  the  cross,  when  I  shall  be  preached  criicifiecl,  then  I  will  draw 
all  people  to  Myself."  But  that  was  a  meeting  where  they  talked  revo- 
lution. That  man  was  a  missionary  supported  by  American  Christians, 
and  I  simply  think,  I  ought  to  make  these  facts  public.  I  want  the 
American  Christian  people  who  give  money  for  missions  to  know  that 
they  should  control  and  see  that  nothing  but  the  pure  Gospel  is 
preached  with  American  Christian  money.  In  that  same  meeting, 
this  learned  man  said,  "Why  the  Russian  government  has  been  perse- 


208  ReacJiing  the  Russian  a7id  Slavonic  Peoples 

cuting  those  Christians  and  one  of  the  prominent  leaders,  Mr.  Fetler, 
has  been  banished."  He  didn't  know  I  was  there.  Then  later  on  in 
the  meeting  he  said  that  anybody  could  ask  questions.  So  I  just  stood 
up  and  stated  the  simple  claims  of  the  Gospel.  But  bless  your  heart, 
he  and  the  whole  crowd  wouldn't  listen.  They  had  no  patience  with 
the  simple  statement  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Gospel.  Now,  why  do 
we  keep  quiet  about  these  things? 

Great  Work  in  America 

Well  now,  the  first  thing  is  the  missionaries,  to  get  the  workers  as 
many  as  possible,  and  they  must  be  men  who  will  not  compromise. 
It  is  either  Christ  or  Belial,  either  light  or  darkness.  Therefore  I 
cannot  trust  personally,  as  a  Russian  Christian  leader,  I  cannot  trust 
as  a  missionary  leader,  any  one  who  does  compromise.  We  want  men 
to  go  out  there  and  preach  to  those  people  not  "isms,"  but  Christ. 
These  leaders  see  it  themselves,  they  must  see  it.  And  then  the  ques- 
tion arises:  "How  should  such  a  work  be  done?"  It  must  be  done 
on  a  broad  basis,  thoroughly  evangelical  and  right  here  in  this  country. 
Now  in  Philadelphia,  the  Russian  Missionary  Society  has  been  formed 
to  prepare  men  to  go  into  Russia.  We  cannot  touch  so  much  this 
country,  but  we  must  have  an  organization  to  do  the  work  in  this 
country;  and  I  wonder  if  the  Chicago  Tract  Society  is  not  the  natural 
body  to  take  this  matter  in  hand  in  a  larger  way  than  ever  before.  We 
know  Dr.  Brooks.  I  have  heard  him  speak  to  my  men  in  Chicago 
and  Philadelphia.  We  know  his  leadership  in  this  work,  and  after 
the  suggestions  offered  at  this  conference,  I  wonder  if  the  Chicago 
Tract  Society  cannot  be  the  agency  for  reaching  the  Slavonic  people  in 
all  parts  of  this  country. 

The  Missionai'ies  Needed 

In  order  to  evangelize  the  Slavonic  people  in  this  county,  we  must 
have  missionaries  to  go  to  them,  and  every  evangelist  who  goes  out 
among  these  people  should  be  examined  as  to  his  belief  and  as  to  his 
personal  life.  If  I  live  in  a  community,  people  will  watch  me.  As 
Christian  workers,  we  cannot  afford  to  do  anything  that  will  hinder 
our  work.  I  was  told  of  a  prominent  Bible  teacher  who  is  known  all 
over  the  country,  and  yet  he  thinks  nothing  of  his  wife  going  to 
theatres  and  his  family  going  to  the  movies  and  all  such  places.  The 
Bible  says:  "If  a  bishop  cannot  mind  well  his  own  house,  how  will 
he  rule  the  church  of  God?"  There  must  be  godliness.  There  must 
be  sanctity.  There  must  be  the  life  of  prayer.  There  must  be  the 
life  of  holiness.  That  must  be  first.  I  was  in  the  house  of  a  pastor 
the  other  day,  not  in  this  city,  and  while  there  was  a  meeting  going 


A  Symposium  209 

on  in  his  house,  the  children  came  in,  fourteen  and  fifteen  years  old, 
and  he  gave  them  a  nickel  to  go  away  to  a  movie,  while  I  was  preach- 
ing. Children  of  a  minister!  Now  then,  perhaps  in  this  country,— that 
is  not  my  business  so  far  as  the  Americans  are  concerned;  but  let  me 
tell  you  I  have  been  travelling  for  four  years  up  and  down  this  coun- 
try, and  probably  I  know  the  foreign  situation  as  well  as  any  man  in 
this  congregation;  and  the  foreign  people  are  exceedingly  suspicious 
of  anything  that  is  not  purely  spiritual.  Now,  as  we  know  this,  we 
must  be  careful  so  that  we  don't  drive  them  away  from  Christ  by 
doing  things  that  cause  them  to  be  suspicious  of  us.  Now  I  believe 
the  Chicago  Tract  Society  ought  to  be  the  central  organization  for  this 
work.     I  want  every  one  of  you  now  to  begin  to  pray  for  this  work. 

Then  I  would  suggest  that  a  number  of  departments  be  established 
on  a  larger  scale  in  connection  with  this  work.  For  instance,  some 
mention  was  made  about  tracts  and  getting  names  and  addresses.  That 
is  one  department.  Not  only  addresses  of  people  in  this  country,  but 
also  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific.  Get  in  correspondence 
with  people  and  send  tracts  to  them.  You  might  print  on  the  tract: 
"If  you  want  to  know  more  about  Jesus,  please  write  to  us."  Then 
in  Russian,  Ukrainian,  Polish  and  other  papers  addresses  could  be 
found.  In  that  instance  of  a  lady  wanting  to  get  a  husband,  some- 
body might  write  and  tell  her  about  a  Bridegroom  thirty-three  years 
old.  Then  I  would  suggest  this,  that  once  in  three  months,  a  sermon 
be  printed  on  the  first  page,  if  possible,  anyway  a  whole  page,  of 
the  largest  Polish,  Russian  and  Bohemian  papers,  as  an  ad.  In  that 
way  it  would  reach  thousands  of  people  that  never  would  come  to  any 
place  of  worship,  and  I  believe  they  would  read  it.  For  instance,  put 
in  "Jessica's  First  Prayer,"  that  part  telling  of  Jesus.  If  I  had  a 
thousand  dollars  I  would  do  that  right  now,  so  much  do  I  believe  in 
it,  and  that  is  what  I  want  to  do  in  the  Russian  papers.  I  think  that 
the  Tract   Society  must  take   care   of  the   hymnology  also. 

There  are  Russians,  Ukrainians,  Poles,  Bohemians  in  many  of  the 
American  prisons.  I  believe  a  man  should  be  put  in  charge  in  connec- 
tion with  this  work  of  prisons,  looking  them  up  and  getting  them  to 
Christ.  One  more  suggestion.  I  would  suggest  that  Dr.  Brooks  get  up  a 
letter,  perhaps  in  connection  with  this  new  committee  work,  and  send 
a  special,  very  pointed  letter  to  from  fifty  thousand  to  a  hundred  thou- 
sand ministers  in  various  cities  and  towns,  and  ask  them  to  appoint 
a  committee  in  every  church  to  look  up  the  foreign  people,  get  their 
addresses,  get  up  collections  or  some  donations  and  send  to  the  So- 
ciety, to  publish  new  tracts;  and  then  the  Society  could  send  out 
those  tracts  to  the  foreign  folks  living  all  over  the  country.  By  that 
means,  I  believe,  my  beloved  friends,  that  these  people  will  be  evangel- 
ized. 


THE  BIBLE,  PROPHECY  AND  THE  WAR 

By  REV.  JAMES  M.  GRAY,  D.  D. 

MY  theme  is,  "The  Bible,  Prophecy  and  the  War." 
First,  the  Bible,  what  is  it?  It  is  remarkable  how  much 
misunderstanding  there  is,  even  among  Christian  people,  as 
to  what  the  Bible  really  is.  And  because  of  it  there  is  necessarily  a 
great  deal  of  mental  confusion,  and  error  and  heretical  teaching  in 
the  church  and  in  the  world.  The  Bible  is  just  one  thing;  namely, 
the  history  of  the  redemption  of  the  human  race  on  this  earth.  It  is 
not  a  history  of  the  world,  nor  of  any  nation  in  the  world,  although 
it  dwells  so  much  upon  the  history  of  one  nation,  as  you  know.  It  is 
not  a  work  of  philosophy,  nor  of  science.  It  is  not  a  book  of  morals, 
though  its  morals  are  the  highest  as  its  science  is  the  truest  and  its 
philosophy  the  deepest  known  to  man.  The  Bible  is  something  no 
other  book  can  possibly  be  when  we  call  it  the  history  of  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  human  race  on  this  earth. 

Think  of  that  last  phrase — On  this  earth.  There  are  many  who 
think  that  the  Bible  is  dealing  chiefly  with  heaven — but  it  says  very 
little  about  heaven.  It  is  dealing  chiefly  with  the  affairs  of  men  on 
the  earth.  God  loves  this  earth,  and  the  people  that  are  upon  it,  not- 
withstanding the  awful  carnage  of  the  present  time,  which  would  seem 
to  contradict  that  statement.  It  does  not  contradict  it.  God  knows 
all  about  this  carnage.  He  is  ruling,  and  He  is  executing  His  purpose 
through  it  all,  so  that  His  word  shall  yet  be  fulfilled  where  it  is  writ- 
ten that  His  glory  shall  fill  the  earth,  and  "the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 

Israel   an   Instrument  of  God 

But  a  second  point  to  be  clear  about  is,  that  in  God's  purpose  of 
redeeming  the  human  race  on  this  earth.  He  is  using  two  instruments, 
or  two  servants,  as  the  Prophet  Isaiah  speaks  of  them,  and  not  only 
one.  We  commonly  think  of  only  one,  which  is  His  only  begotten  and 
well  beloved  Son.  He  is,  of  course,  the  first,  the  primary  instrument 
that  God  is  using  for  He,  "His  own  self,  bare  our  sins  in  His  own 
body  on  the  tree."  There  could  be  no  redemption  of  the  race,  if  sin 
were  not  put  away;  and  sin  could  only  be  put  away  through  the  aton- 
ing death  of  the  Son  of  God. 

But  God  is  using  as  a  secondary  instrument,  or  servant,  the  nation 
of  Israel.  God's  purpose  concerning  Israel  comes  into  view  two  thou- 
sand years,  more  or  less,  after  sin  came  into  the  world,  in  connec- 

210 


Uev.  James  M.  Gray  211 

tion  with  the  call  of  Abraham,  recorded  in  the  twelfth   chapter  of 
Genesis.    Abraham  was  the  father  and  the  founder  of  that  nation. 

For  what  purposes  does  God  wish  to  use  Israel?  First,  as  a  reposi- 
tory for  His  truth  in  the  earth.  Every  book  of  the  Bible  was  written 
by  a  Jew,  and  the  Jews  kept  this  Bible  intact  in  all  the  centuries  down 
until  the  time  of  Christ  and  His  apostles.  But  God  desired  Israel  also 
as  a  channel  for  the  incoming  of  the  personal  Redeemer  to  the  earth, 
the  Seed  of  the  woman  who  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head,  and  the 
Seed  of  Abraham  in  whom  all  the  families  of  the  earth  should  be 
blessed.  And,  as  you  know,  Israel  gave  to  the  world  its  only  Saviour 
though  they  crucified  Him  when  He  came.  But,  third,  God  desired 
Israel  as  a  national  witness  to  Himself  before  the  other  nations  of 
the  earth,  a  witness  to  His  unity.  His  supremacy,  justice,  holiness, 
goodness,  truth,  and  love. 

The  Root  Cause  of   This   War 

Now  while  Israel  fulfilled  the  two  first  of  those  purposes,  she  never 
yet  has  fulfilled  the  last.  She  kept  the  sacred  oracles  intact,  she  gave 
the  personal  Redeemer  to  the  world,  but  she  has  never  been  a  faithful 
and  true  national  witness  to  God  among  the  other  nations  of  the  earth. 
And  what  is  the  result?  The  result  is  set  concretely  before  us  in  this 
awful  confiict  of  the  nations  today,  for  there  is  not  a  single  nation 
that  is  living  in  subjection  and  obedience  to  God, — not  one.  In  other 
words,  there  is  not  a  single  Christian  nation  on  the  earth.  Thank 
God,  there  are  many  Christians  in  all  the  nations,  in  our  own  per- 
haps more  than  in  any  other;  but  there  is  not  a  single  nation  which, 
as  such,  is  serving  God  and  His  Son  Jesus  Chrst. 

Also,  so  far  as  Israel  herself  is  concerned,  the  result  of  her  un- 
faithfulness is  seen  in  the  fact  that  she  is  scattered  among  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  suffering,  persecuted,  or,  as  one  of  the  prophets 
says,  "sifted  as  corn  is  sifted  in  a  sieve"  among  them  all;  and  yet 
it  is  God's  will  that  not  a  single  grain  shall  fall  to  the  ground. 

In  other  words,  God  has  not  forgotten  or  changed  His  purpose  con- 
cerning Israel.  And  the  day  is  coming, — all  the  prophets  are  a  unit 
in  testifying  to  it, — when  Israel  shall  go  back  to  her  own  land  again; 
at  first,  indeed,  in  unbelief,  but  ultimately,  as  the  result  of  purifying 
judgments  which  God  shall  pour  out  upon  her  at  the  hands  of  the 
Gentile  nations,  she  shall  turn  to  Him  in  obedience  and  faith.  In  that 
day  Christ's  feet  shall  stand  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  ^prophet 
Zachariah  says  so,  and  in  that  day  Israel  as  a  nation  shall  cry  out 
in  the  language  of  Isaiah,  "Lo,  this  is  our  God;  we  have  waited  for 
Him;  We  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  His  salvation."  And  when  that 
day  comes,  Israel  will  take  up  the  broken  threads  of  her  witness  and 
testimony  to  God  and  to  His  Son  which  shall  bring  the  nations  in 


212  The  Bible,  Prophecy  and  the  War 

submission  to  Him  and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  at  length 
become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  His  Christ. 

Talk  about  prophecy!  What  kind  of  Bible  students  are  we,  if  we 
neglect  the  prophetic  portions  of  the  Bible?  Three-fourths  of  the 
Bible  is  filled  with  prophecy.  How  we  can  ever  understand  the  mind 
of  God,  how  we  can  ever  intelligently  cooperate  with  God  in  carrying 
out  His  plans  and  purposes  on  the  earth  except  as  we  know  His  word, 
and   especially  His   prophetic   Word,   is   certainly   an  enigma  to  me. 

II 

The  Riches  of  Prophecy 

Now  we  come  to  the  second  part  of  my  theme,  which  is  pr6phecy.  I 
might  open  the  Bible  almost  at  random  when  it  comes  to  speaking  of 
this  truth  that  I  have  set  before  you  from  the  prophetic  Word.  I 
might  begin  at  Genesis,  for  Genesis  is  full  of  prophecy.  I  might  go 
into  Leviticus,  which  though  so  largely  taken  up  with  the  sacrificial 
offerings,  contains  one  of  the  most  wonderful  prophecies  of  the  history 
of  Israel  down  to  the  millennium,  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  Bible. 
I  might  go  into  Numbers  and  Deuteronomy  where  the  same  thing  is 
true.  And  as  to  the  book  of  Psalms,  it  cannot  be  understood  except  as 
you  perceive  in  it  God's  purpose  in  Israel.  And  so  on,  from  Isaiah  to 
Malachi. 

But  I  have  chosen  part  of  a  single  chapter  in  the  book  of  Daniel, 
the  second  chapter,  because  the  prophecy  there  is  so  well  known,  so 
realistic,  and  so  easily  understood.  It  is  the  story  of  Nebuchadnezzar's 
dream  about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ.  It  was  the  time  when 
God  had  begun  His  work  of  judgment  upon  Israel,  and  when  for  her 
unfaithfulness  she  was  being  carried  into  Babylonian  captivity.  The 
dominion  of  the  earth,  which  had  been  promised  to  her  if  obedient, 
was  taken  from  her  fox  the  time  being, — and  committed  to  certain 
Gentile  nations,  the  first  of  which  was  Babylon. 

And  God  is  revealing  His  purpose  in  this  matter  through  the  prophet 
Daniel  to  the  king  of  Babylon.  He  reveals  it  in  a  dream.  The  king 
in  his  dream  saw  a  great  metal  image  of  a  man,  the  head  of  gold,  the 
breast  and  arms  of  silver,  the  belly  and  sides  of  brass,  the  legs  of 
iron,  and  the  feet  part  of  iron  and  part  of  clay.  As  he  gazed  upon  it, 
a  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands,  struck  the  image  on 
its  feet  and  not  only  destroyed  them,  but  also  the  whole  image; 
so  that,  as  the  record  says:  "Then  was  the  iron,  the  clay,  the  brass, 
the  silver  and  the  gold  broken  to  pieces  together,  and  became  like  the 
chaff  of  the  summer  threshing-floor;  and  the  wind  carried  them  away, 
that  no  place  was  found  for  them;  and  the  stone  that  smote  the  image 
became  a  great  mountain  and  filled  the  whole  earth." 


Rev.  James  M.  Gray  213 

What  did  this  forecast?  Daniel  is  commissioned  of  God  to  reveal 
it,  and  in  effect,  it  meant  just  one  thing,  namely,  Gentile  dominion  in 
the  earth  from  the  time  of  Nebuchadnezzar  down  until  the  end  of  this 
age.  During  all  this  period  Israel  was  to  he  set  aside  from  her  place 
of  leadership  and  the  Gentiles  were  to  be  in  power,  not  all  the  Gen- 
tiles, as  was  stated,  but  certain  nations  which  God  chose. 

The  Great  World  Empires 

But  while  the  image  represented  only  one  thing,  the  four  metals  of 
which  it  was  composed  represented  four  things,  in  other  words,  as 
the  prophecy  goes  on  to  show,  the  four  great  world  empires  into  which 
Gentile  dominion  would  be  divided.  The  head  of  gold  represented  the 
Babylonian  Empire,  the  breast  and  arms  of  silver  the  Medo-Persian, 
the  belly  and  sides  of  brass  the  Grecian,  and  the  legs  and  the  feet  the 
Roman  Empire  which  followed  the  Grecian.  This  last  empire,  in  the 
territorial  and  in  the  governmental  sense,  is  still  in  existence  and  still 
in  power. 

The  prophecy  further  indicates  a  time  when  the  Roman  Empire  will 
be  divided  into  ten  parts,  or  ten  kingdoms,  as  represented  by  the  ten 
toes,  and  when  those  ten  kingdoms  will  be  partly  of  a  monarchical 
character  as  represented  by  the  iron,  and  partly  of  a  democratic  char- 
acter as  represented  by  the  clay.  At  this  time  when  the  Roman  Em- 
pire thus  in  control  of  the  earth  shall  be  represented  by  ten  kingdoms, 
five  in  the  east  and  five  in  the  west,  doubtless  it  will  please  God  to 
set  up  His  own  kingdom  upon  the  earth  in  the  place  of  them.  Jesus 
Christ  will  come  in  power  and  great  glory,  "with  His  mighty  angels, 
in  flaming  fire  taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God  and  that 
obey  not  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  (2  Thess.  1:7,  8). 
Then  it  is  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  strikes  the  image  upon  its  feet, 
comes  into  collision  with  the  Gentile  governments  of  the  earth,  as  the 
result  of  which  those  governments  will  be  brought  to  an  end.  That 
does  not  mean  that  all  the  people  of  the  earth  will  be  destroyed  by 
any  means,  but  that  the  governments  as  such  will  cease.  As  it  is 
written:  "Then  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall 
never  be  destroyed,  and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other  peoples ; 
but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it 
shall  stand  for  ever." 

That  is  the  day  when  Israel  is  back  in  her  own  land  and  when  God 
shall  be  pleased  to  use  her  as  His  vice-gerent,  so  to  speak,  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  earth.  Then  Christ  and  His  glorified  Church, — to 
which  I  trust  every  soul  in  this  company  belongs  through  faith  in 
His  blood, — shall  be  reigning  in  glory  over  the  earth. 

Yes  God  loves  the  earth,  and  the  time  is  coming  when  our  eyes, 
glorified  as  we  shall  then  be  with  Christ,  shall  behold  the  fulfillment 


214  The  Bible,  Prophecy  and  the  War 

of  God's  purpose  and  be  reigning  with  Him  in  that  place  of  exalted 
privilege  which  He  has  reserved  for  those  who  have  submitted  them- 
selves by  faith  to  His  Son. 

in 

This  War  Not  Armageddon 

We  come  now  to  the  last  part  of  this  address, — the  war.  When  we 
talk  about  purifying  judgments  on  the  earth  in  these  days,  people 
ask  whether  the  conflict  now  going  on  in  Europe  is  not  the  fulfillment 
of  this  prophecy?  They  ask  whether  this  is  not  the  purifying  judg- 
ment out  of  which  the  millennial  blessing  shall  come?  In  other 
words,  "Is  not  this  war  the  Battle  of  Armageddon?"  We  know  from 
the  sixteenth  chapter  of  Revelation  that  the  battle  of  Armageddon  is 
that  great  conflict  out  of  which  God  will  bring  to  pass  these  purposes 
of  blessing  which  have  been  mentioned. 

But  the  answer  to  that  question  is  in  the  negative.  This  war  is  not 
Armageddon.  How  do  we  know  it?  That  is  another  reason  why  we 
need  to  study  prophecy.  We  know  it  from  the  Word  of*  God.  It  is 
not  what  I  think  about  it.  It  is  true,  as  Dr.  Brooks  has  said,  that  a 
prophet  is  not  a  foreteller  but  a  forth-teller.  The  prophets  who  wrote 
by  inspiration  of  God  were  foretellers,  but  he  who  seeks  to  interpret 
their  prophecies  to  the  people  is  not  a  fore-teller.  If  he  attempts  to  be 
he  is  doing  wrong.    He  should  simply  proclaim  what  God  has  revealed. 

Now  from  that  point  of  view  one  can  say  with  some  positiveness 
that  this  conflict  is  not  the  Armageddon.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  not 
in  the  right  locality.  Armageddon  is  the  name  of  a  hill  rising  up  from 
the  plain  of  Esdraelon  in  northern  Palestine.  Many  a  battle  has  been 
fought  there  by  Joshua,  by  Josiah  and  other  kings  of  Israel.  Babylon 
and  Egypt  fought  there,  the  Saracens  and  the  Crusaders  fought  there, 
Napoleon  fought  there,  Great  Britain  is  fighting  the  Turks  in  that 
neighborhood  today.  But  the  greatest  battle  the  world  has  even  seen 
shall  be  fought  there,  and  that  is  the  battle  of  Armageddon. 

Again,  this  confiict  has  not  the  right  objective  for  Armageddon. 
What  is  the  objective  of  the  present  war?  It  is  somewhat  difl[icult  to 
see  Just  now,  but  there  is  no  doubt  whatever  as  to  what  will  be  the 
objective  of  Armageddon,  namely,  the  capture  of  Jerusalem,  when 
occupied  once  more  by  Israel.  God  calls  that  land  "the  apple  of  His 
eye."  Ezekiel,  His  prophet,  speaks  of  it  as  "the  middle  of  the  earth." 
God  knew  why  He  chose  Palestine  to  be  the  homeland  of  His  peculiar 
people.  All  the  great  nations  of  the  earth,  east  and  west,  have  cov- 
eted that  land.  On  two  occasions,  as  revealed  in  the  Word  of  God, 
Jerusalem  has  been  besieged  by  Gentile  armies.  Once  under  Nebu- 
chadnezzar and  again  under  Titus.     On  both  occasions  she  was  over- 


Bev.  James  M.  Gray  215 

come,  but  on  this  that  is  before  us  the  opposite  will  be  the  case,  and 
Jerusalem  will  be  triumphant  and  the  Gentiles  will  be  overcome; 
not  because  Jerusalem  is  so  mighty  but  because  Jehovah  shall  fight 
for  her    (see  Zechariah  14). 

But  this  is  not  the  battle  of  Armageddon,  in  the  third  place,  because 
it  does  not  represent  the  right  alignment  of  the  nations.  The  nations 
fighting  in  that  day  will  be  those  of  the  Roman  Empire  federated  once 
more  under  a  single  head,  greater  than  any  Caesar  that  mighty  despot 
referred  to  figuratively  in  the  Bible  as  "the  beast,"  and  sometimes 
spoken  of  as  "the  son  of  perdition,"  and  "the  Anti-Christ." 

The  Roman  Empire  Revived 

Which  are  the  nations  of  the  Roman  Empire?  On  the  east  they  in- 
clude, speaking  loosely,  Palestine  and  Turkey  in  Europe;  on  the  south, 
Egypt  and  the  northern  strip  of  Africa  around  the  Mediterranean  sea; 
on  the  north,  Greece,  the  Balkan  States  and  a  part  of  Austria-Hun- 
gary;   on   the   west,    Spain,    Portugal,    France,    Italy,    Great   Britain. 

Russia  is  left  out,  for  she  was  never  in  the  Roman  Empire.  While 
she  is  an  ally  today  of  some  of  the  nations  that  were  in  that  empire, 
eventually,  and  before  the  battle  of  Armageddon,  she  will  be  divorced 
from  them.  Notice  that  Austria-Hungary  was  partly  in  the  Roman 
Empire  and  partly  not,  so  the  day  is  coming  when  her  territory  will 
be  divided,  and  that  day  seems  pretty  near,  as  we  read  the  news- 
papers now.  Germany  was  not  named.  She  was  never  in  the  Roman 
Empire,  except  that  part  of  her  territory  west  of  the  Rhine,  and 
there  is  little  doubt  that  she  will  lose  that  and  Alsace-Lorraine  will 
be   given   back  to   France. 

These  are  some  of  the  things  that  the  Word  of  God  reveals  to  us 
when  we  come  to  it  submissively  and  obediently,  for  "the  secret  of 
the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him  and  to  them  will  He  make 
known  His  covenant."  One  thing  that  is  going  to  result  from  this 
conflict  is  a  realignment  of  the  nations,  a  separation  of  some  and  a 
coming-together,  of  others,  which  will  bring  Nebuchadnezzar's  image 
into  evidence  again  before  "the  great  and  notable  day  of  the  Lord" 
comes. 

A  Personal   Appeal 

I  want  to  say  this,  in  closing,  that  when  we  speak  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  on  the  earth,  or  as  represented  in  the  glorified  Church  of 
Christ  that  will  be  ruling  over  it,  we  need  to  remember  that  there 
is  only  one  way  for  an  individual  soul  to  enter  it.  Jesus  taught  us 
what  that  way  was,  when,  in  addressing  Nicodemus,  in  the  third 
chapter  of  John,  He  said:  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Except  a 
man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." 


216  The  Bihle,  Prophecy  and  the  War 

Therefore,  the  question  before  us  today,  as  thinking,  reasoning  men 
and  women,  is  this:  Have  I  been  born  again?  It  is  not  a  question 
as  to  whether  we  call  ourselves  Christians,  or  whether  we  are  church 
members.  It  is  not  a  question  as  to  whether  we  are  more  or  less 
active  in  Christian  work.     The  question  is:     Have  I  been  born  again? 

Thank  God,  we  are  not  left  in  doubt  as  to  how  that  blessing  may 
become  ours,  for  it  is  written  in  another  place  in  that  same  Gospel 
of  John  concerning  Jesus,  that  "to  as  many  as  received  Him,  to 
them  gave  He  the  authority  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them 
that  believe  on  His  name,  which  were  born  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the 
will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God." 

Therefore,  in  order  to  be  born  again,  it  is  necessary  for  us  to 
receive  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  our  personal  Saviour  and  confess 
Him  as  our  Lord.  Have  you  done  that?  Oh,  this  conference  has 
been  held  in  vain  for  you,  my  brother,  or  my  sister,  except  as  you 
come  into  obedient  relationship  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  and 
know  on  the  basis  of  His  Word  that  you  have  thus  passed  from  death 
unto  life! 

God  grant  you  that  benediction  today.    How  can  you  longer  wait? 


RUSSIA  AND  THE  GREEK  CHURCH 

By  REV.  ELIAS  NEWMAN  of  the  Chicago  Hebrew  Mission 

When  the  average  American  first  takes  up  the  study  of  Russia,  his 
mind  becomes  instantly  appalled  by  the  gigantic  proportions  of 
everything  he  deals  with.  It  is  like  the  first  lessons  in  astronomy: 
for  everything  in  Russia  is  immense — extent  of  surface,  numbers  of 
population,  diversity  of  races,  complexity  of  character,  wealth  of 
resources,   possibility   of  power,   and   extent  of  ambitions. 

Politics  and  religion  have,  till  the  present  time  of  chaos,  always 
been  associated  with  each  other  and  were  always  important  factors 
in  Russian  national  life.  In  religion  as  in  politics,  we  see  the  same 
aspects,  the  reign  of  extremes — on  the  one  side,  the  old  Eastern 
Church  of  ikons  and  orthodoxy;  and,  on  the  other,  the  modern  relig- 
ion of  Tolstoy  and  Gorky — a  contrast  which  is  certainly  remarkable. 

The  Russian  is  deeply  religious,  by  love  perhaps  more  than  by 
conviction,  and  with  a  tendency  to  superstition  rather  than  scepti- 
cism— but  religious,  nevertheless,  and  like  all  deeply  religious  people 
who  have  zeal  but  not  knowledge,  bigoted.  Persecution  comes  as 
naturally  to  him  at  the  sight  of  heresy  as  amputation  suggests  itself 
to  the  surgeon  at  the  sight  of  mortification,  and  one  has  only  to  read 
of  the  orgies  of  persecution  on  the  unfortunate  Jews,  or  the  atrocities 
which  take  place  when  Christian  and  Mohammedan  meet  in  conflict 
in  the  minor  Balkan  States,  to  realize  how  deeply  religious  he  is  in 
his  crimes. 

I.  The  Greek  Church — Its  Peculiarities 

The  many  falsehoods  and  ridiculous  stories  reported  of  this  church, 
and  spread  over  all  countries,  prove  to  me,  at  least,  if  to  no  one  else, 
that  it  is  a  subject  that  most  British  or  American  people  are  ignorant 
about.  If  we  reflect  that  the  accounts  we  have  had,  for  the  most 
part,  have  been  given  by  travelers  who  knew  nothing  either  of  the 
language  or  of  the  matter,  but  went  into  a  church,  stared  about  them, 
and  then  came  home  and  published  an  account  of  what  they  saw 
according  to  their  own  imagination,  frequently  taking  an  accidental 
circumstance  for  an  established  custom  and  not  seldom  totally  mis- 
understanding whatever  they  beheld;  the  consequence  has  been  that 
their  mistakes,  for  want  of  being  contradicted  and  cut  off  at  first 
hand,  have  grown  and  multiplied  by  being  copied  and  translated  from 
one  language   into  another. 

There  is  a  story  of  an  Armenian  priest  who  told  his  congregation 
all  he  knew  about  Englishmen  in  the  following  words: 

217 


218  Russia  and  the  Greek  Church 

"You  wish  to  know  whether  the  English  are  Christians?  They 
are  Christians?  They  even  have  the  Eucharist,  such  as  it  is.  Once 
a  year  the  minister  goes  up  into  the  pulpit,  with  a  large  basket  of 
of  bread  on  his  arm;  this  he  flings  among  the  people,  who  thus  have 
a  scramble  for  it  in  the  church.  They  also  have  another  religious 
ceremony  called  the  national  debt,  which  consists  in  offering  a  large 
sum  of  money  every  year  to  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  a  ceremony 
much   disliked  and   murmured   at  by  the  people." 

We  are  ready  to  laugh  at  the  expense  of  this  Armenian  priest. 
But,  Eastern  Christians  might  on  their  side  fairly  charge  us  with 
notions  respecting  their  worship  and  doctrine  as  confused,  absurd 
and  untrue  as  those  of  the  priest  in  Armenia  of  the  doctrine  and 
ritual  of  the   English   Church. 

But  it  may  be  asked,  What  is  the  use  of  interesting  ourselves  about 
the  Eastern  Church?  We  may  answer  the  question  in  the  language 
of  a  popular  and  gifted  writer,  the  late  Dean  Stanley,  who  says:  "A 
knowledge  of  the  existence  and  claims  of  the  Eastern  Church  keeps 
up   the   equipoise   of  Christendom." 

The  Church  of  Rome  presents  us  with  the  idea  of  high  ecclesiastical 
pretensions,  of  an  elaborate  ritual,  of  outward  devotion,  of  wide 
dominion,  of  venerable  tradition.  It  is  close  at  hand,  and  therefore, 
whether  we  attack  or  admire  it  fills  the  whole  of  our  view.  But  this 
effect  is  considerably  modified  by  the  apparition  of  the  Eastern 
Church.  Turn  from  Rome  to  Constantinople,  and  we  shall  see  there 
are  two  kings  in  the  field,  two  suns  in  the  heavens:  that  figure  which 
seemed  so  imposing  when  it  was  the  only  one  which  met  our  view 
changes  all  its  proportions  when  we  see  that  it  is  out-topped  by  a 
vaster,  loftier,  darker  figure  behind.  If  the  voice  of  authority  is 
heard  to  be  confident  in  Rome,  it  is  hardly  less  confident  at  Constan- 
tinople. Beyond  the  Carpathian  mountains,  beyond  the  Ural  range, 
there  are  unbroken  successions  of  bishops,  long  calendars  of  holy 
men,  unrecognized  in  the  Roman  Church,  who  can  return  anathema 
for  anathema  as  well  as  blessing  for  blessing.  In  the  eyes  of  the 
orthodox  Greeks  the  Pope  is  not  the  representative  of  a  faith  pure 
and  undefiled;  but  (to  use  their  own  words),  the  Pope  is  the  first 
Protestant,  the  founder  of  German  rationalism.  The  Eastern 'Church 
speaks  of  the  Papal  supremacy  as  the  chief  heresy  of  the  latter  days: 
the  Pope  of  Rome  has  fallen  out  of  the  mystic  circle  of  the  five 
patriarchs  by  dropping  the  name  of  patriarch  and  by  substituting 
the  name  of  Pope  or  "Papa"  of  the  whole  Church. 

This,  then,  is  one  answer  to  the  question.  It  opens  our  eyes  to  the 
vanity  of  those  high-sounding  pretensions  which  the  Church  of  Rome 
puts  forward  to  catholicity,  antiquity,  and  supremacy:  The  Roman 
CatBolic  Church,  which  used  to  appear  so  imposing,  shrinks  into  its 
more    true   and    limited    proportions    when    we    see   that    it    is   over- 


Rev,  Elias  Newmdn  219 

shadowed  by  another  Church  more  ancient,  more  catholic,  than  itself, 
and  which  never  acknowledged  those  pretensions  of  the  Papacy  which 
have  been  the  chief  cause  of  the  schisms  of  Christendom. 

There  are  over  three  hundred  bishops  in  the  Eastern  Church,  who 
are  in  turn  grouped  under  five  patriarchates— that  of  Alexandria,  Anti- 
och,  Jerusalem,  Constantinople,  and  Moscow,  which  took  the  place 
that  Rome  once  held,  till  the  time  of  Peter  the  Great.  Ten  languages 
are  used  by  this  church.  But  while  we  should  understand  the  great 
geographical  extent  of  the  Eastern  Church,  which  includes  Greece, 
Bulgaria,  Servia,  Palestine,  Turkey,  Russia  and  other  lands,  we 
should  also  bear  in  mind  how  sacredly  and  jealously  it  embodies  the 
principle  of  national  churches.  The  church  extending  over  that  wide 
range  of  countries  that  we  have  mentioned  includes  within  her  pale 
several  groups,  and  it  is  with  one  that  we  have  specially  to  deal, 
namely,  that  of  the  Russian  Church. 

II.  The  Russian  Church 

This  church  was  always  subject  to  the  Patriarch  of  Moscow  till 
the  year  1700,  when  Adrian,  the  last  Patriarch,  died  and  Peter  the 
Great,  after  an  interval  of  twenty  years,  abolished  the  office  in  1721 
and  the  permanent  administration  of  church  affairs  was  placed  under 
the  direction  of  a  council,  called  the  "Holy  Synod"  or  "Permanent 
Council,"  consisting  of  archbishops,  bishops  and  archimandrites,  who 
were  all  named  by  the  emperor  under  the  old  regime.  Under  the  direc- 
tion of  this  council,  a  series  of  official  acts  and  formularies,  and 
catechetical,  doctrinal,  and  disciplinary  treatises  were  drawn  up,  by 
which  the  whole  scheme  of  the  doctrine,  discipline  and  church  gov- 
ernment of  the  Russian  Church  was  settled  in  detail,  and  to  which 
all  members  of  the  clergy  and  all  official  dignitaries  were  required  to 
subscribe.  The  leading  principle  of  the  new  constitution  thus  imposed 
in  the  Russian  Church  was  the  absolute  supremacy  of  the  czar:  and 
in  order  to  mark  still  more  signally  the  principle  that  the  crown  is 
the  source  of  all  church  dignity  and  of  all  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction, 
the  arrangement  of  provinces,  archbishoprics  and  bishoprics  under- 
went a  complete  revision;  the  old  metropolitan  sees,  as  they  became 
vacant,  were  filled  up  with  simple  bishops,  and  not  with  archbishops 
as  before;  and  a  new  arrangement  of  archbishoprics  was  established, 
partly  by  the  act  of  the  czar  himself,  partly  by  the  interposition  of 
the  permanent  synod.  The  constitution  of  the  Russian  Church,  estab- 
lished by  Peter  the  Great,  has  been  maintained  in  substance  to  the 
present  time.  The  Holy  Synod  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  great  depart- 
ments of  the  government,  the  minister  of  public  worship  being 
ex-officio  a  member.  One  of  the  most  cherished  objects  of  the  tradi- 
tional  imperial   policy   of   Russia   has   been   to   effect   uniformity   of 


220  Russia  and  the  Greek  Church 

religious  profession  throughout  the  empire.  Dissent  therefore  in  all 
its  forms  has  not  only  been  discouraged,  but  in  many  cases  rigorously 
and    cruelly    repressed. 

m.  Doctrine 

The  Eastern  Church,  beyond  the  Nicene  Creed,  has  no  general  doc- 
trinal tests,  no  oath  like  that  of  Pope  Pius  IV.,  no  symbolical  books, 
strictly  speaking,  like  those  of  the  Protestant  and  Reformed  churches; 
such  as  the  Augsburg  Confession  of  the  Lutherans,  or  the  Westmin- 
ster Confession  of  the  Presbyterians,  or  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  of 
the  English  Church.  But  still  she  is  not  the  less  provided  with 
sufficient  security  that  the  true  faith  shall  be  held.  This  security 
lies,  first,  in  the  fact  that  the  Bible  is  the  one  rule  of  faith;  and,  sec- 
ondly, in  the  terror  which  Eastern  Christians  feel  of  being  excommu- 
nicated. While  it  is  well  known  that  the  Church  at  Rome  has  so 
abused  and  profaned  her  power  of  excommunication  as  to  make  it 
ridiculous,  in  the  Eastern  Church  excommunication  is  as  much 
dreaded  as  in  the  days  of  Chrysostom  and  Ambrose.  Thus  is  pre- 
served from  age  to  age  a  living  spirit  of  orthodoxy  and  whatever  is 
felt  or  known  to  form  part  of  the  faith  of  the  church  is  received  with 
implicit  veneration  by  her  children.  And  on  the  doctrine  felt  and 
known  to  have  this  sanction  of  the  church  rests  the  authority  of 
the  Catechism.  The  Nicene  Creed  is  still  recited  in  the  beautiful 
Greek  tongue  by  the  Russian  Church,  and  is  the  culminating  point 
of  the  service.  The  great  bell  of  the  Kremlin  tower  at  Moscow  used 
to  sound  the  whole  time  that  its  words  were  chanted.  It  was  repeated 
aloud  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  people  by  the  emperor  at  his 
coronation;  it  is  worked  in  pearls  on  the  robes  of  the  highest  digni- 
taries of  Moscov/.  Every  separate  article  of  this  creed  is  taught  by 
pictures  which  exhibit  each  several  point  of  it.  And  we  are  all  aware 
that  the  great  point  of  discussion  between  the  Eastern  and  Western 
Churches  was  the  introduction  by  the  latter  into  the  ancient  creed 
of  the  clause  which  declares  that  the  Holy  Spirit  proceeds  from  the 
Son,   as   well   as   from   the   Father. 

Besides  the  Nicene  Creed,  the  Eastern  Church  holds  with  ourselves 
to  the  Athanasian  Creed  as  a  symbol  of  the  faith — so  far  that  it  is 
inserted  in  the  Book  of  Hours  of  Russia.  It  forms,  however,  no  part 
in  the  public  service  as  in  the  case  of  the  Anglican  Church,  but  is 
treated  as  Presbyterians  treat  it,  as  an  interesting  document  of 
religion. 

The  Apostles'  Creed  is  peculiar  to  the  Western  Church  and  has 
never  been  current  in  the  East. 

The  Russian  Church  reverences  the  same  Holy  Bible  as  we  do; 
and  what  is  more,  they  do  all  they  can  to  encourage  the  reading  of  it 


Rev.  Elias  Newman  221 

among  the  people  in  their  own  language.  They  have  their  Bible 
societies,  and  these  societies  need  not  pay  any  carriage  or  freight  for 
shipping   Bibles   from   one   place   to  another. 

The  Greek  Orthodox  Church  in  Russia  believes  in  seven  mysteries 
or  sacraments:  Baptism,  Confirmation,  the  Eucharist,  Confession, 
Ordination,  Marriage,  Unction  of  the  Sick. 

Their  doctrine  on  baptism  is  the  same  as  in  the  Roman  Church, 
except  that  they  insist  on  a  trine  immersion.  Respecting  Holy  Com- 
munion, the  Greek  Church  agrees  more  with  the  Church  of  Rome 
than  with  the  evangelical  idea — viz.:  every  bishop,  when  consecrated, 
swears  that  the  transubstantiation  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ 
is  effected  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  when  the  priest  invokes 
God  the  Father  in  these  words,  "And  make  this  Bread  the  precious 
Body  of  thy  Christ." 

They  allow  the  use  of  the  cup,  however,  to  the  laity,  and  allow 
to  infants  the  Holy  Communion  immediately  after  confirmation,  which 
is  united  to  baptism.  The  orthodox  Christians  in  Russia  do  not  com- 
municate more  than  once  a  year,  though  mass  is  celebrated  every  day 
by  the  priest. 

Points  of  Contrast 

Some  of  the  points  of  difference  between  the  Russian  Church  and 
the  Western  Church  on  the  subject  of  the  Holy  Communion: 

1.  The  name  is  different.  In  the  East  it  is  called  a  "Liturgy";  in 
the  West,   "Mass."      (The  word   "Mass"  means  an  offering.) 

2.  There  is  a  difference  in  place  and  time  of  celebration.  In  the 
East  the  altar  is  invariably  in  the  East.  In  the  West,  they  are  some- 
times found  in  the  West.  In  the  East  the  altars  are  hidden  from  the 
congregation;    in   the   West,   open. 

3.  In  the  Russian  Church  the  Liturgy  is  in  Russian,  but  in  the 
Roman  Church  it  is  always  in  Latin. 

4.  The  Eastern  Church  declares  that  she  does  not  define  the  manner 
of  the  change  of  the  consecrated  elements;  the  Roman  Church  defines 
and   explains   it. 

5.  The  organ  plays  during  the  celebration  in  the  Roman  Church, 
never  in  the  Russian. 

6.  In  the  Russian  Church  the  laity  communicate  in  both  parts;  in 
the  Roman   Church,  only  in  one. 

7.  In  the  Russian  Greek  Church  leavened  bread  is  used,  but  in  the 
Roman   Church   unleavened. 

Confession  in  Russia  takes  place  once  a  year. 
The  invocation   of  the   Saints  is  a  doctrine  received  alike   in  the 
Greek  and  Roman  Churches. 

The   Greek   Church   admits   prayers   for   the  dead   and   even  prays 


222  Russia  and  the  Greek  Church 

for  the  remission  of  their  sins,  but  it  does  by  no  means  allow  the 
doctrine  of  purgatory.  Works  of  supererogation,  indulgences  and  dis- 
pensations are  utterly  disallowed  in  the  Russian  Church. 

The  Greek  Church  differs  from  the  Roman  on  the  subject  of  the 
marriage  of  the  clergy.  By  the  laws  of  the  church  a  parish  priest 
must  marry  before  ordination;  and  on  the  death  of  his  wife  he  must 
resign  his  charge  (as  he  is  not  allowed  to  marry  a  second  time),  and 
retire  into  a  monastery.*  The  bishops  and  archbishops,  however,  are 
chosen  from  the  monastic  clergy  only,  who  are  not  allowed  to  marry. 
(In  Russian  recent  history  there  are  numerous  cases  where  a  widower 
has  been  allowed  to  become  a  bishop). 

The  Russian  Church  discards  images  and  statues,  but  permits 
"ikons"    (flat-surface  pictures),   which  they  venerate  highly. 

IV.  Religious  Liberty  in  Russia 

It  will  here  be  a  convenient  place  to  discuss  what  amount  of  reli- 
gious toleration  was  exercised  in  Russia,  and  how  much  truth  there 
was  in  the  allegations  of  ruthless  and  cruel  persecutions.  Difficult  as 
it  is  to  get  reliable  information  on  Russian  affairs  in  general,  on  no 
subject  does  there  at  first  sight  seem  to  be  so  much  discrepancy  in 
the  evidence  offered  as  on  this.  On  the  one  hand,  we  are  told  that 
nowhere  did  such  complete  toleration  exist  as  in  Russia.  Walk  down 
the  Nevskoi  Prospect  in  Petrograd  and  in  that  one  street  you  will 
find  the  great  Kazon  (Orthodox  Cathedral),  a  Lutheran  Church,  a 
Reformed  Church,  a  Roman  Catholic  Church,  a  Jewish  Synagogue,  and 
a  mosque.  "Does  this,"  it  is  asked,  "look  like  intolerance?"  The 
theory  by  which  the  Russian  ecclesiastical  authorities  are  supposed 
to  be  actuated  is  that  all  shall  be  tolerated  in  the  profession  of  their 
religions  whatever  they  may  be,  so  long  as  they  are  the  creeds 
of  their  fathers,  but  no  change  from  any  religion  to  another  is 
allowed.  There  is,  however,  one  exception  to  this  rule,  for  the  Greek 
orthodox  Church  is  enjoined  to  make  as  many  converts  amongst  those 
professing  other  religions  as  it  is  able.  Now  observe  how  this  theory 
of  "tolerance"  would  have  justified  the  ruthless  stamping  out  in  the 
Catholic  countries  of  Europe  of  the  budding  Protestant  Reformation 
of  four  centuries  ago — and,  in  fact,  did  justify  the  Russian  govern- 
ment in  their  own  eyes,  in  their  several  persecutions  of  the  Stundists, 
Baptists  and  other  reforming  evangelicals  of  South  Russia.  The  Bap- 
tist persecution  was  directly  instigated  by  the  Holy  Synod,  and  was 
entirely  consistent  with  the  oflacially  avowed  theories. 


*  While  this  statement  is  true  in  many  cases,  still  the  priest  usually 
continues  after  the  death  of  his  wife  to  officiate  in  his  pastorate,  but  he 
is  not  allowed  to  marry  aprain  because  of  the  way  the  Russian  Church 
interprets,  1  Tim.  3:12.  Notwithstanding-  this  we  are  credibly  informed 
that  the  monasteries  are  full  of  widowers  as  are  the  convents  full  of 
widows. — The  Editor. 


Uev.  Elias  Newman  223 

Madame  Novikoflf  and  Mr.  Stead 

For  a  frankly-fair  exposition  of  the  late  Russian  governmental 
theory  of  "toleration"  I  would  refer  you  to  an  article  by  Madame 
Novikoff  in  the  Contemporary  Review  for  February,  1889.  It  is  a 
review  of  the  late  Mr,  Stead's  "Truth  About  Russia,"  and  is  called 
"a  cask  of  honey  with  a  spoonful  of  tar,"  the  "cask  of  honey"  being 
the  somewhat  fulsome  account  Mr.  Stead  gives  of  the  Russian  govern- 
ment, and  the  "spoonful  of  tar"  the  gentle  remonstrance  he  ventures 
upon  with  regard  to  religious  persecution.  Madame  Novikoff  boldly 
asserts: 

"Russia  tolerates  all  religions  and  prosecutes  at  law  only  sects  who 
propagate  immoral  and  criminal  doctrines  which  would  not  be  per- 
mitted in  fact  in  any  part  of  the  world  where  Christian  morality  is 
accepted  as  the  basis  of  legislation, 

"Russia  established  perfect  religious  liberty  long  before  many  of 
her   civilized   neighbors." 

This  sounds  well;  but  next  we  are  enlightened  as  to  what  the  expres- 
sion "perfect  religious   liberty"  means: 

"In  England  and  in  America,  where  the  Christian  faith  is  'split- 
tered'  into  a  hundred  sects,  it  may  be  not  only  possible  but  necessary 
to  allow  liberty  of  religious  competition,  or  propagandism.  The 
sporting  propensities  of  those  countries  discloses  itself  even  in  the 
field  of  religion.  With  us  it  is  not  so.  Our  Church  prays  daily  for 
unity  of  all  the  churches — we  consider  every  schism  a  plague  whose 
infection  has  to  be  stamped  out.  We  have  no  hankering,  I  assure 
you,  after  the  ideal  of  possessing  as  many  creeds  as  there  are  sign 
posts.  As  for  us,  we  are  content  with  one  absolute  truth,  based  on 
the  Gospels,  and  explained  by^  the  seven  Ecumenical  Councils. 
Before  even  the  duty  of  defending  the  frontier  from  invasion  of 
hostile  armies  is  the  duty  of  defending  the  orthodox  faith  from  the 
assaults  of  sects,  heresies.  Hence,  while  we  permit  every  man  to 
practice  freely  in  Russia  whatever  creed  he  professes,  we  cannot 
permit  attempts  to  pervert  others  from  the  orthodox  faith. 

"In  Russia  you  may  be  Protestant,  Catholic,  or  Mohammedan,  and 
you  may  practice  your  rites,  and  worship  God  in  your  own  way,  and 
also  bring  up  your  children  in  your  own  creed,  but  in  mixed  mar- 
riages, with  a  Greek  orthodox,  the  law  of  the  country  insists  that 
the  children  shall  belong  to  the  established  faith.  Besides,  you  must 
keep  your  hands  off  other  people's  creeds  and  other  people's  chil- 
dren. Nowadays  every  quack  soul-saver  thinks  himself  entitled  to 
pervert  our  simple-minded  peasantry  by  filling  their  hearts  with  all 
kinds  of  nonsense  in  the  name  of  religious  liberty.  Now,  why  should 
there  be  more  liberty  given  to  spiritual  quacks  than  to  medical 
quacks?    Imagine  a  splendid  hall,  brilliantly  lighted  with  numerous 


224  Russia  and  the  Greek  Church 

electric  lights.  Suddenly,  a  grotesque  touterdemolion  rushes  in  with 
a  small  tallow  candle,  which  he  insists  is  far  superior  to  the  electric 
installation.  Surely  it  will  be  his  own  fault  if  he  is  summarily  shown 
the    door." 

The  late  governmental  theory  of  tolerance  thus  expounded,  imper- 
fect as  it  is,  would  seem  to  afford  some  sort  of  protection  to  believers 
in  the  older  forms  of  religion.  Unfortunately  it  was  necessary  to  dis- 
tinguish between  the  theory  and  actual  practice  in  this  matter. 

The  Jew  has  always  been  made  more  or  less  of  an  exception;  and 
has  not  enjoyed  the  privileges  accorded  to  members  of  other  non- 
orthodox  bodies.  He  has  been  treated  sometimes  with  less,  some- 
times with  more,  completeness  as  a  species  of  religious  outlaw.  But 
since  the  revolution  a  new  dawn  has  arisen,  a  new  age  begun.  It 
may  take  weeks,  or  months,  or  even  years,  before  stability  and  order 
shall  arise  out  of  chaos  and  anarchy,  but  though  very  slow  in  its 
appearance  it  is  coming,  bringing  with  it  its  many  opportunities, 
privileges    and   duties. 

Something  Fascinating 

There  is  something  fascinating  about  Russia  that  is  inexpressible 
and  inexplicable.  It  is  something  like  the  Russian  ballet — at  one 
time  simple,  and  at  another  time  gorgeous;  at  one  time  refined,  at 
others  almost  barbaric,  but  all  the  while  scintillating  with  color, 
thrilling  with  emotion,  and  instinct  with  life  against  a  background 
of  great  distances  and  massive  magnitude. 

Thus  Maurice  Baring,  in  "The  Mainspring  of  Russia,"  quotes  the 
famous  passage  from  Gogol,  where  the  exile  cries  out  to  his  country 
to   reveal   the   secret   of   her   fascinations: 

"What  is  the  mysterious  and  inscrutable  power  which  lies  hidden 
in  you?"  the  exile  is  made  to  say.  "Why  does  your  aching  and  melan- 
choly song  echo  unceasingly  in  my  ears?  Russia,  what  do  you  want 
of  me?  What  is  there  between  you  and  me?"  And  this  question,  as 
the  author  goes  on  to  say,  is  the  question  which  is  always  repeated 
not  only  by  Russians  in  exile,  but  even  by  foreigners  who  have  been 
in  Russia. 

It  is  not,  as  with  Italy,  the  grandeur  of  past  glories  in  eternal 
masterpieces  of  stone;  nor  like  Egypt  with  its  wonderful  pyramids; 
nor  yet  again  in  the  wealth  of  vegetation  as  in  some  districts  of 
Southern  America;  but  fascination  there  is,  and  no  reader  rising  up 
from  the  perusal  of  one  of  Tolstoy's  novels,  or  waking  from  a  reverie 
after  listening  to  Chopin  or  Rubenstein,  could  possibly  deny  its 
magic.  It  cannot  be  argued  any  more  than  it  can  be  explained  away; 
but  there  it  is,  a  feeling  rather  than  a  thought,  a  conviction  rather 
than  a  reason — a  fact  above  all  proof  as  it  is  impervious  to  denial. 


Rev.  Elias  'Newman  225 

P^r  centuries  Russia  has  groaned  under  the  despotism  of  which  the 
average  American  can  Mve  no  conception.  It  is  not  strange  that 
when,  without  warning,  she  found  herself  freed  from  its  bonds  she 
should  stagger  uncertainly,  not  knowing  where  to  turn.  The  imme- 
diate future  will  see  faction  striving  against  faction,  party  fighting 
against  party.  No  one  who  knows  Russia  will  dare  to  prophecy  what 
the  result  will  be;  but  the  ultimate  end  will  be  for  the  good  of  the 
country  just  as  in  the  case  of  the  French  Revolution. 

It  will  take  time  for  Russia  to  realize  what  she  wants.  There  is 
no  cohesion,  no  common  ideal  to  inspire  her  people.  She  is  conscious 
of  having  killed  a  dragon;  that  is  all.  The  workmen  remember  their 
long  hours  and  insufficient  pay;  the  soldiers,  their  harsh  treatment 
and  their  miserable  pittance  of  little  more  than  two  cents  a  week. 
The  returned  exiles  look  at  their  wasted  farms  and  the  lost  years 
of  their  life  spent  in  Siberia;  the  Jews  remember  the  pogroms  in 
which  multitudes  of  their  race  were  brutally  murdered.  The  social- 
ists think  of  the  rights  of  man  and  how  little  they  have  seen  of 
them  in  the  past;  the  Nihilists,  Royalists  and  police  have  a  common 
aspiration — blood. 

With  all  these  worrying  factors  at  work  in  Russia  today  the  future 
seems  overcast,  but  she  will  work  out  her  own  destiny  just  as  other 
countries   have   done. 

What  is  the  duty  of  evangelical  Christians  to  Russia  and  her  nearly 
two  hundred  millions  of  people,  at  the  present  time?  Before  the 
war  the  cultured  classes  of  Russia  were  saturated  with  the  hell-born 
philosophy  of  Nietsche.  The  students  in  the  universities  were  eager 
readers  of  his  writings.  And  among  the  poorer  and  ignorant  classes 
we  find  the  most  devoted  disciples  of  Karl  Marx,  earnest  and  zealous 
anarchists  who  aim  at  the  overthrow  of  all  faith  and  religion  as 
well  as  law  and  order. 

We  have  a  great  debt  to  pay,  to  take  the  Gospel  to  this  neglected 
people,  to  follow  up  the  pioneer  efforts  of  Baedeker  and  Radstock. 
Protestantism  has  a  duty  toward  the  Greek  Church  as  she  has  to  all 
systems  that  contain  error.  It  is  the  proclamation  of  the  free  and 
pure  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  which  delivers  from  every  bondage^ 
ecclesiastical  or  political. 


J 


TESTIMONY  OF  A  VOLUNTEER 

By  MR.  HENRY  SINGER  of  Toronto 

WHENEVER  I  come  before  an  audience  of  American  Chris- 
tians, I  feel  that  I  am  a  native  of  this  country.  Some  of 
you  may  say:  "Well,  you  don't  look  like  it."  I  want  to 
tell  you,  dear  friends,  originally  I  was  born  in  Russia;  or,  rather, 
in  Russian-Poland;  and  in  religion  I  was  a  Jew,  and  after  I  came 
to  this  country  I  was  born  again.  I  gave  up  Judaism  before  I  became 
a  Christian.  I  came  over  to  this  country  when  I  was  a  young  man 
and  attended  a  good  many  of  the  so-called  socialist  and  anarchist 
meetings.  I  want  to  tell  you  this,  that  you  may  know  what  the 
devil  has  going  on  while  the  Church  is  sleeping.  The  devil  is  spread- 
ing all  these  terrible  things  among  the  foreigners,  among  the  people 
of  these  Slavic  races.  I  belonged  to  one  of  those  meetings,  but  I 
went  to  a  meeting  in  Boston  one  time,  in  a  Jewish  mission.  There 
was  a  man  preaching  the  Gospel  there  who  was  not  a  Jew.  I  want 
you  to  understand,  dear  friends,  that  what  some  people  say  about 
your  not  being  able  to  preach  to  the  Jews  unless  you  are  a  Jew  is 
not  true  at  all.  This  preacher  was  the  late  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon.  He 
preached  from  the  ninth  chapter  of  Isaiah,  the  sixth  verse:  "For 
unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given,  and  the  government 
shall  be  upon  his  shoulder:  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
Counsellor,  the  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of 
Peace."  The  result  of  that  meeting  was  that  I  found  out  I  was 
wrong,  and  thank  God  I  did  find  it  out.  Well,  that  meeting  resulted 
in  my  being  born  again,  and  I  think  I  have  a  right  to  call  myself  an 
American,  because  I  was  born  again  here. 

Making  Ready  for  Russia 

I  am  not  a  prophet,  neither  am  I  the  son  of  a  prophet,  but  I  have 
been  doing  some  work  among  the  Jewish  people  in  Toronto,  and  I 
have  told  my  people  there  that  there  are  no  better  people  than  the 
Russians.  My  son  went  away  to  the  front  three  years  ago,  and 
for  twenty-three  years  we  have  never  closed  a  year  with  even  a 
cent  of  debt.  During  the  last  years  the  Lord  has  been  giving  us 
more  than  we  have  used,  and  so  we  are  going  to  extend  the  work." 
when  he  went  I  said  to  my  committee:  "I  have  worked  in  Toronto 
for  twenty-three  years.  We  have  never  closed  a  year  with  even 
a  cent  of  debt.  During  the  last  years  the  Lord  has  been  giving  us 
more  than  we. have  used,  and  so  we  are  going  to  extend  the  work." 

226 


Mr.  Henry  Singer  227 

We  have  engaged  another  assistant  now.  He  is  an  Englishman,  but 
he  speaks  Yiddish  as  well  as  any  Jew  can.  We  are  looking  for  still 
another  worker,  and  I  want  you  to  pray  that  the  Lord  may  send  us 
a  lady  worker,  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  willing  to  work  among  the 
Jewish  people  in  Toronto.  When  my  son  went  away,  I  said,  I  will 
work  until  this  war  is  over,  but  God  willing,  at  the  end  of  this  war 
I  am  going  to  pay  a  visit  to  Russia,  and  I  am  going  to  stand  on  the 
street  corners  over  there  and  tell  both  Jew  and  Gentile  the  Gospel 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  There  is  another  man,  a  gentleman  over  seventy 
years  old,  and  he  is  gathering  up  his  pennies  and  is  going  with  me 
to  Russia.  We  are  old  fellows,  you  see,  but  we  feel  nevertheless  that 
the  Lord  has  still  something  for  us  to  do,  and,  God  willing,  we  are 
going,  and  that  is  the  reason  that  I  came  to  this  Conference.  When 
I  got  a  program,  and  saw  my  name,  I  was  surprised,  because  I  didn't 
come  here  to  speak,  but  I  came  to  learn,  because  it  is  nearly  thirty- 
five  years  since  I  left  Russia,  and  I  am  very  glad  to  have  been  here 
to  meet  these  brethren. 

Mission  for  Jews  and  Gentiles 

Now,  while  I  work  among  the  Jews,  I  want  you  to  understand  that 
I  do  not  pass  by  the  Gentiles.  Before  the  Cross,  the  Lord  said:  "I 
am  sent  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel";  but  after  the  resur- 
rection he  said:  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature."  Not  only  to  the  Jew,  but  to  every  creature.  I  do 
like  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  my  Polish  and  Russian  brethren,  and  to 
those  of  all  other  nationalities.  Thank  God  many  of  these  national- 
ities have  been  with  me  in  my  mission.  I  have  more  Slavs  sometimes 
than  Jews,  and  they  are  easier  to  reach  than  the  Jews  are.  We  take 
in  Russians,  Poles,  and  everybody  else,  and  preach  to  them  the  Gos- 
pel, and  have  a  hallelujah  time.     Praise  the  Lord! 


A  PLEA  FOR  UNITED  WORK  | 

By  DR.  V.  J.  VITA  of  Immanuel  Bohemian  Baptist  Church,  Chicago 

WHAT  has  struck  me  more  than  anything  else  in  this  confer- 
ence has   been  the   spirit   of  non-denominationalism  pervad- 
ing all  the  proceedings,  and  I  do  rejoice  and  am  very  glad 
of   it. 

Now  I  would  say  just  a  few  words  in  regard  to  the  work  among 
the  Bohemian  people.  The  work  of  evangelization  in  Bohemia  began 
before  the  Reformation;  that  is,  about  a  hundred  years  before  Martin 
Luther's  time,  the  Reformation  was  going  on  in  Bohemia.  John 
Huss's  martyrdom  was  in  1415,  and  Martin  Luther's  work  began  in 
1517  or  thereabout.  But,  of  course,  the  work  was  broken  up  or  sup- 
pressed through  the  persecution  of  the  Romish  Church  and  the  com- 
bination of  the  Romish  Church  and  the  State.  That  work  was  inter- 
rupted, and  later  it  was  revived,  especially  in  the  last  century;  but 
the  evangelization  was  through,  the  various  denominational  bodies 
and  so  denominationalism  began  to  creep  in  and  divisions  came. 

Denoininationalism  Not  Needed 

It  is,  however,  a  beautiful  thing  that  American  men  have  gone  in 
and  learned  the  Bohemian  language,  which  is  very  difficult  for  an 
American  to  learn — that  they  might  be  able  to  preach  the  Gospel  in 
Bohemia;  and  they  have  done  it  on  denominational  lines,  of  course 
there  has  been  blessed  work  done  there  along  these  lines,  but  I 
believe  that  denominationalism  is  not  needed  there  or  anywhere. 
It  is  almost  a  curse  that  our  people  in  the  European  as  well  as  the 
American  Bohemian  churches  are  not  united;  although  many  try 
to  make  excuses  and  say  denominationalism  has  been  a  blessing,  yet 
I  believe  it  has  not  been  a  blessing  but  a  curse,  because  we  know 
the  devil  does  not  like  anything  so  much  as  to  see  the  people  of  God 
divided  and  quibbling  about  this  and  that,  instead  of  in  a  union  of 
love  and  service. 

Now  the  Bohemians  are  divided  into  two  great  bodies:  that  part 
which  is  influenced  and  controlled  by  the  Roman  Church,  and  that 
which  is  controlled  by  the  ideas  of  the  so-called  Freethinkers.  Now, 
these  are  the  two  great  forces  at  work  among  the  Bohemian  people. 
The  Freethinkers  have  three  dailies  in  Chicago  alone;  and  weekly 
and  monthly  papers  innumerable,  working  to  turn  the  people  who 
are  yet  loyal  to  the  Romish  Church,  and  to  strand  them  in  infidelity; 
and  here  we  are  powerless.     Why?     Because  we  have  no  hold  upon 

228 


Dr,  V.  J.  Vita  229 

the  people.  We  Christian  people  have  nothing  concerted,  we  are 
scattered.  These  people  have  never  seen  God  through  the  Protestant 
Church,  or,  rather,  through  the  Bible;  they  have  only  seen  Him 
through  the  Roman  Catholic  Church;  and,  of  course,  they  say:  "Is 
that  God?  Well,  we  don't  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  a  God 
like  that,  or  with  a  religion  like  that,"  and  I  don't  blame  them; 
and  then  we  have  so  little  of  the  true  love  of  God  to  manifest  to 
them. 

Confusion  of  Sects 

The  Bohemian  nation  as  a  whole  has  progressed  ahead  of  the 
other  Slavonic  nations  intellectually  and  educationally.  That  is 
because  they  have  touched  the  western  civilized  nations  more  than 
the  others.  But  that  is  a  sad  thing  for  this  reason  that,  as  they 
rise  in  knowledge  and  attainment  they  become  hardened  in  pride 
and  unbelief  and  against  the  Gospel;  and  those  of  us  who  work 
among  them  know  how  hard  it  is  to  present  the  Gospel  to  them.  I 
do  not  mean  to  decry  education,  but  when  it  leads  a  man  to  think 
he  has  something  above  the  Word  of  God,  then  we  know  that  educa- 
tion has  gone  wrong.  We  are  only  a  few,  and  those  of  us  that  are 
working  among  them  are  divided,  and  so  we  are,  to  a  great  extent, 
a  laughing  stock  because  of  the  fact  that  we  are  divided.  They  say: 
"Here  is  one  faith,  and  there  is  another  faith.  Which  is  right?" 
Now,  that  is  the  reason  why  I  am  so  glad  for  the  spirit  of  this  con- 
ference. There  has  been  a  feeling  among  our  brethren  here  in  Chi- 
cago, and  I  believe  it  is  so  in  other  places  all  over  the  United 
States — a  feeling  of  the  need  of  getting  and  working  together.  While 
I  am  myself  a  member  of  a  denominational  church,  yet  I  say  we 
need  something  apart  from  all  denominational  adherences,  something 
that  we  can  carry  to  the  people,  some  publications  that  we  can  send 
to  counteract  what  they  have  had,  and  in  which  there  will  be  nothing 
but  that  which  exalts  the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  alone. 
Out  of  this  conference  I  hope  there  will  be  something  done  to  enable 
us  to  get  more  such  publications,  and  Scripture  tracts,  which  we  may 
take  to  our  people  here,  and  also  the  Bohemian  colonists  in  Russia, 
free  of  anything  but  the  truth  of  the  Bible  and  the  Gospel  of  the 
Grace  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 


AN  INTERESTING  EXPERIENCE  RELATED 

By  MR.  ANTOSZEWSKI 

AT  one  time  when  I  was  very  tired  and  it  was  near  evening,  I 
thougtit  I  would  call  on  four  more  families,  which  were  living 
in  the  same  house.  I  sold  a  booklet  to  each  family  downstairs, 
but  those  upstairs  would  not  buy  anything,  so  I  gave  to  each  a  copy 
of  our  Slowa  Zywota  and  started  to  leave.  Suddenly,  one  of  the 
women  called  me  and  asked  me  to  come  back,  and  asked  what  kind 
of  books  I  had.  I  told  her  they  were  good  Christian  books.  She 
asked  me  then  to  select  for  her  two  booklets  for  ten  cents,  which  I 
gladly  did. 

Then  she  told  me  very  sadly  how  there  was  much  gloom  in  her 
home  on  account  of  her  daughter,  who  had  been  very  ill  for  about 
four  years,  and  how  all  physicians  had  given  her  up  and  said  she 
could  not  live  much  longer.  She  asked  me  then  very  pitifully  if  1 
could  not  then  do  something  to  relieve  her  suffering.  I  told  her  that 
I  was  not  a  physician  and  that  I  knew  nothing  about  medicine,  but 
that  I  could  pray  for  her.  She  was  surprised  that  a  man  going 
around  with  books  would  want  to  pray  for  her  daughter.  Never- 
theless, she  went  to  ask  the  suffering  girl  about  it.  Soon  she  returned 
and  took  me  into  her  little  kitchen. 

The    Wonderful    Gospel 

In  the  meantime  the  father  came  in,  and  the  mother  explained  to 
him  that  I  would  pray  for  the  sick  one.  But,  before  praying,  I 
wanted  to  see  the  daughter  in  order  that  I  might  read  to  her  a  por- 
tion from  the  Bible.  However,  they  told  me  that  she  was  so  very 
sick  and  nervous  that  she  would  not  even  wish  to  see  her  best  friends 
and  much  less  a  stranger.  So  I  remained  in  the  kitchen  and  read 
with  them  from  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah,  reading  loud  enough 
so  that  the  poor,  suffering  girl  could  hear  me.  Then  we  knelt  down 
and  I  prayed,  and  afterward  started  to  go.  But  the  girl  called  her 
mother  and  whispered  to  her  to  invite  me  to  come  again.  I  called 
again  two  days  later  and  learned  that  she  was  worse,  but  as  soon  as 
she  heard  that  I  was  there  she  wanted  to  see  me.  When  I  came  into 
the  bedroom  she  grasped  my  hand  and  said:  "I  wish  you  would 
read  to  me  the  same  words  you  read  the  other  day  to  my  parents." 
I  opened  the  Bible  and  read  again  from  the  fifty-third  chapter  of 
Isaiah.  She  thought  it  was  very  wonderful,  and  asked  me  to  read 
more.  So  I  read  the  twenty-third  Psalm.  Again  she  exclaimed,  "It 
is  wonderful!"  and   wanted  me  to  read  again.     I  read  the   twenty- 

230 


Mr.  AntoszewsJci  231 

fourth  Psalm.  In  spite  of  her  great  suffering,  she  seemed  to  be 
drinking  in  the  very  spirit  of  the  words  that  I  read,  and  she  would 
keep  exclaiming,  "It  is  wonderful,  wonderful!"  Again  she  asked  me 
to  read  more,  and  I  read  from  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  Revelation: 
"And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes,  and  there  shall 
be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying;  neither  shall  there 
be  any  more  pain,"  etc.  Again  she  asked  me  to  read  yet  once  more. 
Here  the  mother  thought  that  she  was  requesting  too  much,  but  the 
girl  urged  all  the  more  that  I  should  go  on  reading,  so  I  continued 
to  read  about  that  great  city,  the  New  Jerusalem,  descending  out 
of  heaven  from  God. 

Praying  AA^ithout  a  Prayer  Book 

During  all  this  time  both  the  father  and  mother  were  present,  and 
they  were  astonished  that  the  daughter  seemed  to  forget  about  her 
suffering  and  patiently  and  cheerfully  listen  to  the  stranger  and  to 
these  very  strange  words  from  a  strange  book,  and  they  were  over- 
joyed that  their  daughter  was  finding  so  much  comfort.  Then  the 
sick  maiden  turned  to  me  and  said:  "Now  I  wish  you  would  pray 
from  the  same  prayer  book  the  same  prayer  which  you  prayed  the 
other  day  in  the  kitchen  with  my  father  and  mother."  I  told  her 
that  I  did  not  use  any  prayer-book,  but  that  I  prayed  from  my  heart. 
She,  however,  did  not  'understand  this,  so  I  had  to  explain  to  her 
what  I  meant,  and  how  that  God  is  our  Father  and  that  I  prayed  to 
Him  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  I  explained  to  her  that  whenever  she 
wanted  a  glass  of  water,  or  whatever  it  might  be,  she  would  ask  her 
mother  for  it  and  the  mother  would  gladly  give  it  to  her  if  she 
needed  it,  and,  after  getting  the  thing  for  which  she  asked  her 
mother,  she  would  gladly  thank  her  for  it;  and  just  so,  I  explained, 
I  ask  my  heavenly  Father,  and  when  I  get  the  thing  for  which  I  ask, 
I  thank  Him  for  it.  She  wanted  then  that  I  should  offer  just  such 
a  prayer  for  her  then  and  there,  and  after  I  was  through  she  began 
to  pray  without  a  prayer-book,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life.  Her 
parents  were  present  all  this  time,  and  they  were  very  thankful  for 
all  they  saw,  but  at  the  same  time  they  were  greatly  astonished  that 
their  suffering  girl  could  be  so  much  interested  in  the  words  of  a 
stranger. 

The  Marvelous  Book 

In  the  meantime  the  father  had  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  Bible  which 
I  was  holding  all  this  time  in  my  hand.  Finally  he  exclaimed:  "This 
Is  a  marvelous  book!  I  suppose  you  would  not  sell  it?"  I  explained 
to  him  that  it  was  my  business  to  circulate  such  books.     The  mother 


232  An  Interesting  Experience  Belated 

thought  it  would  cost  a  very  large  price,  and  when  I  told  her  then 
that  the  price  of  a  large  Bible  was  only  one  dollar  she  quickly 
brought  me  the  money,  and  asked:  "But  are  we  allowed  to  read  this 
book?"  I  told  her  that  some  people  forbade  reading  it,  but  I  repea+ed 
to  her  the  words,  "Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that  under 
stand  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  and  keep  those  things  which  are 
written  therein,"  and  told  her  how  our  Saviour  commanded,  "Search 
the  Scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life,  and  they  are 
they  which  testify  of  me";  and  I  repeated  the  charge  to  Joshua, 
"This  book  of  the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  but  thou 
Shalt  meditate  therein  day  and  night,  that  thou  mayest  observe  to  do 
according  to  all  that  is  written  therein,  for  then  thou  shalt  make 
thy  way  prosperous,  and  then  thou  shalt  have  good  success."  Then 
the  sick  girl  said,  "Never  mind,  mother,  we  must  have  this  book,  and 
no  one  will  be  able  to  take  it  away  from  us." 

The  Good  Seed  in  Good  Ground 

The  father  and  mother  agreed  with  her,  so  they  kept  the  Bible,  and 
also  a  Testament  in  large  type,  in  order  that  I  could  read  to  them 
whenever  I  called.  The  sick  girl  gave  me  several  addresses  of  her 
friends,  upon  whom  she  wanted  me  to  call  in  order  to  sell  some 
books  to  them.  She  even  said  that  if  she  should  get  well  again  she 
wanted  to  go  with  me  to  sell  these  books.  Her  desire  was  to  read 
this  wonderful  Book,  and  she  would  pray  continually  without  a 
prayer-book.  She  would  trust  God  that  He  would  lead  her  according 
to  His  will. 

I  continued  visiting  this  young  woman  for  about  two  weeks,  and 
each  time  the  mother  would  tell  me  how  the  daughter  could  hardly 
wait  for  me  to  come.  Finally,  when  I  came  to  see  her  for  the  last 
time,  I  sang  to  her  one  stanza  of  the  hymn,  "Oh,  Think  of  the  Home 
Over  There."  She  liked  it  so  much  that  I  had  to  sing  it  for  her 
over  and  over  again.  I  cannot  describe  how  happy  she  felt.  Her 
mother,  too,  was  very  thankful  for  that  hymn,  for  she  said,  "This 
song  is-  worth  more  to  us  than  money."  When  I  came  again  to  see 
her  and  had  brought  some  beautiful  flowers  which  were  given  me 
for  her  by  one  of  our  Chicago  Tract  Society  officers,  I  learned  that 
she  had  passed  away  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  "home  over  there"  of 
which  we  had  been  singing. 


PERMANENT  ORGANIZATION 

The  chairman  on  behalf  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  confer- 
ence presented  a  report  outlining  the  plan  for  permanent  organiza- 
tion,  with   five   recommendations,   as   follows: 

NAME 

First.  That  this  organization,  or  federation,  of  forces  for  Russia's 
evangelization  be  known  as  "The  Alliance  for  the  Evangelization  of 
Russia." 

FINANCE  COMMITTEE 

Second.  That  the  Finance  Committee  which  has  served,  during 
this    conference,    viz., 

A.    M.    Johnson,    President,    National    Life    Insurance    Company, 

U.  S.  A., 
Thomas  J.  Bolger  of  Dolger,  Mosser  &  Willaman, 
Davh)  McNaughtan  of  Wingrave  &  McNaughtan, 
Robert  Glendinning  of  the  Vulcanite  Patent  Roofing  Company,  and 
J.  HiLDiNG  Johnson,  Contractor, 

be  elected  as  the  Finance  Committee  of  the  Alliance. 

EXECUTIVE    COMMITTEE 

Third.  That  the  Rev.  E.  Y.  Woolley  of  the  Moody  Church  be  chair- 
man of  the  Executive  Committee,  which  shall  also  be  composed  of — 

Rev.  Jesse  W.  Brooks,  of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society, 

Rev.  Robert  M.  Russell  of  the  Moody  Bible  Institute, 

Rev.  Prof.  Fridolf  Risberg  of  the  Union  Theological  College, 

Mr.  Thomas  E.  Stephens  of  the  Great  Commission  Prayer  League, 

Rev.  Harry  Lindblom  of  the  Lakeview  Swedish  Free  Church,  and 

Dr.  V.  J.  Vita,  all  of  Chicago, 

together   with   the   above   mentioned  members   of  the   Finance   Com- 
mittee. 

GENERAL  BOARD  OF  ALLIANCE 

Fourth.  That  the  brethren  whose  names  have  been  signed  to  the 
manifesto  calling  this  conference  be  invited  to  serve  provisionally  as 
the  General  Board  of  the  Alliance. 

233 


234  Permanent  Organization 

INTERNATIONAIi  RELATIONS 

Fifth.  That  the  Russian  Missionary  Committees  organized  by  the 
Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  in  England,  Wales,  Scotland,  Norway,  Sweden  and 
Denmark  be  invited  to  unite  in  this  allied  movement  for  the  evan- 
gelization   of    Russia. 

Upon  motion,  this  report  and  these  recommendations  were  adopted 
unanimously  by  the  conference,  and  the  newly-elected  chairman, 
Rev.  E.  Y.  Woolley,  was  introduced  for  a  supplementary  statement. 


A  STATEMENT  BY  THE  CHAIRMAN 
OF  THE  ALLIANCE 

By  REV.  E.  Y.  WOOLLEY 

BEFORE  I  make  this  statement,  I  want  to  say,  as  one  of  the 
pastors  of  this  church,  we  are  glad  you  have  met  with  us 
here  this  week.  It  has  been  a  great  blessing  to  us  to  have 
this  conference  with  these  brothers  from  all  parts  of  the  city  and 
country  and  from  many  different  nationalities.  It  has  been  for 
years  a  very  earnest  prayer  of  ours  that  God  would  see  fit  to  use 
this  place  as  a  center,  from  which  the  Gospel  could  radiate  in  all 
directions;  and  in  having  a  chance  here  to  pray  and  plan  that  the 
Gospel  may  reach  Russia,  and  through  Russia  the  neighboring  coun- 
tries,  we   have  had  great  joy. 

A  Flying  Squadron  Needed 

This  is  the  closing  session  of  the  conference,  but  not  the  closing 
conference.  Since  the  committee  was  elected  by  you  on  Wednesday 
night  they  have  met,  and  already  the  Lord  in  answer  to  prayer  is 
beginning  to  make  some  outlines  of  future  ministry  clear.  The 
purpose  is  not  to  antagonize  or  compete  with  any  existing  societies 
or  individuals  that  are  preaching  the  Gospel  in  Russia,  or  planning 
to  do  so;  but  in  these  war  times,  under  these  terrible  new  conditions 
which  are  burdening  the  regular  denominational  boards  and  societies 
and  organizations  in  mission  lands,  it  is  evident  that  it  will  be  a 
matter  of  time  before  any  adequate  extension  of  the  work  of  these 
societies  which  are  doing  mission  work  all  over  the  world  or  in  many 
parts  of  the  world,  can  enlarge  sufiiciently  to  cover  any  considerable 
portion  of  that  immense  country  of  Russia.  Therefore  it  has  been 
felt  very  deeply,  by  those  of  us  who  have  had  the  burden  of  prayer 
and  planning  for  this  conference,  that  there  must  be  some  kind  of 
a  "flying  squadron"  which,  having  no  other  purpose  in  view  and  no 
other  field  to  work,  should  take  the  men  and  women  who  have  thus 
volunteered  for  this  work  and  fly  into  Russia  in  these  days,  that  poor, 
bleeding  Russia  may  receive  the  only  comfort  which  is  adequate,  the 
knowledge  that  Jesus  knows,  and  Jesus  loves,  and  Jesus  cares,  and 
Jesus  keeps.  That  is  what  the  people  of  Russia  need  to  know.  This 
is  the  only  thing  that  will  help  them  in  these  days  when  every  edition 
of  the  newspaper  comes  out  with  some  appalling  change  in  the 
kaleidoscope  of  Russia  and  her  revolutions.  One  issue  says  the 
czar  is  shot;  another  issue  says  the  Bolsheviki  are  doing  this,  and 
another,  that  they  are  doing  that. 

235 


236  A  Statement  ty  the  Chairman 

Seizing   the   Opportunity 

Oh,  these  are  times  when  things  are  happening!  Strange,  isn't  it, 
that  this  very  week,  when  these  friends  are  planning  large  things 
for  Russia,  the  papers  should  be  so  full  of  these  other  matters.  Yet 
isn't  it  glorious  that  we  can  pray,  and  not  only  pray,  but  give,  and 
not  only  give,  but  go!  Oh,  let  us  seize  this  greatest  opportunity  of 
our  lives  for  sending  the  Gospel  into  that  great,  wonderful  country, 
with  its  nearly  two  hundred  million  people!  God  has  already  made 
a  beginning.  Look  into  the  faces  of  these  fifty  men  of  Russia.  A 
few  years  ago  many  of  them  were  down  deep  in  sin;  now  they  are 
saved,  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  I  praise  Him.  There  are  as  many 
more  studying  the  Bible  in  Philadelphia.  Other  schools  are  also 
starting  up.  There  are  men  here  ready  to  help,  men  like  Mr.  Hoijer, 
with  his  forty  years  experience  in  Russia,  and  Prof,  de  Sherbinin 
and  others,  and  what  a  glorious  task  is  before  us!  So  be  perfectly 
free  to  give  as  the  need  is  presented.  We  jnust  carry  the  Gospel  to 
the  great  centers  of  Russia,  so  that  all  the  brothers  and  sisters  of 
Russia  shall  be  saving  other  men  in  many  other  lands  in  the  world, 
and  pointing  lost  men  and  women  to  Him  who  is  the  Light  of  the 
world,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  THE  STUDENTS  OF  THE 
RUSSIAN  BIBLE  INSTITUTE 

By  PASTOR  FETLER 

WHEN  Pastor  Woolley  heard  about  our  desire  to  call  such  a  con- 
ference, he  said,  "The  Moody  Church  will  be  glad  to  offer  its 
hospitality  to  this  conference."  Therefore  I  think  we  should 
express  our  gratitude  to  him,  and  through  him  to  the  Moody  Church  and 
its  pastor,  the  Rev.  Paul  Rader,  for  the  use  of  this  great  tabernacle.  The 
more  I  have  been  in  this  tabernacle,  the  more  I  have  been  thinking, 
"How  soon  shall  I  be  able  to  put  up  a  tabernacle  in  Moscow?"  And  I 
expect  the  Lord  to  give  us  the  money  to  put  up  there  a  tabernacle.  All 
of  those  friends  who  wish  to  express  their  heartfelt  gratitude  to  the 
Moody  Church  for  this  tabernacle,  will  you  lift  up  your  hand?  All 
right! 

One  more  word.  Indefatigable,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  and  exceed- 
ingly zealous,  so  far  even  as  almost  to  forget  his  own  work,  our 
friend,  Dr.  Brooks,  has  been  laboring  to  make  this  conference  what  it 
has  been,  so  far  as  the  human  side  is  concerned.  We  are  not  here 
just  to  pat  one  another  on  the  back  and  say  good  words  about  each 
other,  but  I  do  feel  it  is  our  heart-felt  Christian  duty  to  express  our 
sincere  gratitude  to  the  man  who  was  elected  under  God  to  be  the 
first  chairman  of  such  a  conference  in  the  history  of  the  world;  and 
therefore  all  of  you  who  wish  to  express  your  thanks  to  Dr.  Brooks, 
will  you  all  lift  up  your  right  hand? 

The  Students  in  the  Conference 

We  wanted  our  young  men  here  at  this  conference,  to  be  inspired 
for  the  work  of  the  Lord  in  Russia.  We  could  not  come  but  by 
paying  railroad  fare.  Our  committee  could  not  justly  guarantee  any 
expense,  because  we  had  nothing.  So  we  came  trusting  the  Lord, 
and  the  Lord  has  been  blessing.  We  started,  when  the  first  two  hun- 
dred dollars  came,  the  money  which  a  Swedish  brother  sent  to  us 
toward  these  expenses.  But  now  we  have  to  go  back  again  to  Phila- 
delphia. For  three  weeks  the  students  have  slept  and  have  lived  as 
inexpensively  as  possible.  We  found  a  place  not  far  from  the  taber- 
nacle, and  they  went  into  a  basement  and  slept  there;  the  first  night 
they  had  no  blankets  and  no  pillows,  but  the  Lord  we  had,  and  so 
it  was  all  right.  Now  this  conference  comes  to  a  close.  These  fifty 
men  are  only  half  of  the  number  of  students  staying  at  the  Russian 
Bible    Institute    in    Philadelphia.      When    the    committee    found    out 

237 


238  An  Appeal  for  the  Students 

about  our  expenses  and  our  needs,  and  learned  that  it  took  about 
$2,500  for  the  men  to  come  and  go,  they  said:  "Well,  we  ought  to 
give  an  opportunity  to  the  friends  in  the  tabernacle  at  the  last  meet- 
ing of  the  conference  to  help  these  Russian  men."  Last  fall  when 
these  men  came  to  the  school  they  had  some  money;  one  had  $200, 
another  $300,  another  $400;  but  during  the  year  they  have  paid 
over  seven  thousand  dollars  toward  the  expenses  of  the  school;  and 
now  almost  all  of  them  are  practically  penniless,  so  that,  as  you  see, 
you  have  an  opportunity  to  help  in  a  wonderful  way.  It  costs,  includ- 
ing board,  $250  a  year  for  a  student.  They  have  paid  $7,000.  I  am 
very  glad  that  a  number  of  friends  here  in  this  conference  have 
helped   us   in  this  work. 

Generous  Friends 

One  sister  who  read  about  the  work  said,  "I  want  to  pay  for  one 
of  your  boys," — and  so  sent  on  $250.  Then  later  she  came  to  visit 
the  school  and  she  said,  "The  Lord  is  opening  my  heart,  and  I  want 
to  pay  for  another  of  these  students  for  next  year."  The  other  day 
Dr.  Len  Broughton  came  to  visit  us,  and  he  was  so  much  touched  by 
God's  Spirit,  and  by  the  sincerity  of  these  men,  and  by  the  great 
opportunity,  that  he  said,  "How  much  does  it  cost  to  support  one  of 
these  men  for  a  year?"  I  said,  "Two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars."  He 
said,  "Put  me  down  for  two  men."  And  so  in  this  way  we  have 
fourteen  students  provided  for  now,  but  we  have  eighty-six  more  to 
provide  for.  I  am  sure  you  will  help  us.  The  Lord  has  helped  thus 
far,  and  I  thank  Him  for  the  dear  friends  He  has  given  us  here,  and 
for  their  sympathy  and  co-operation  in  this  work.  These  men  must 
be  prepared.  We  have  nothing  but  our  prayers  and  the  Lord  God. 
It  is  a  work  of  faith.  I  went  to  Philadelphia,  found  those  buildings 
and  bought  them  for  forty-five  thousand  dollars.  I  could  pay  only 
ten  thousand  dollars;  and  now  I  want  those  who  can  give  to  stand 
by  us  and  to  pay  the  other  thirty-five  hundred  dollars. 

HoAv  Slavonic  Ciiristians  Can  Give 

Last  week  Dr.  Brooks  arranged  for  me  to  go  to  the  Bohemian 
Church.  We  went  one  night  and  it  was  a  joy  to  see  those  people. 
Simple  working  people  they  were,  none  of  them  rich  so  far  as  could 
be  told  from  their  appearance.  But  when  I  was  speaking  they  were 
touched,  and  they  put  their  hands  into  their  pockets,  and  they  pledged 
largely  to  help  us  in  the  work.  How  much  do  you  think  they  gave? 
It  was  the  largest  collection  I  had  seen  for  some  time.  This  small 
Bohemian  congregation  gave  us  $540.     You  see  what  God  can   do. 

One  day  T  needed  money  in  my  school.     All  the  money  was  gone. 


Fastor  William  Fetter  239 

The  treasury  was  empty.  I  said:  "Where  shall  I  go?  I  have  no 
constituency.  I  will  go  to  my  boys."  So  I  went  down  into  the 
dining  room,  and  after  supper  I  said  to  the  boys:  "Brethren,  we 
need  some  money  to  rent  some  other  buildings,  because  these  are  too 
small.  Shall  we  pray  to  God?"  So  we  started  to  pray,  and  the  Lord 
suggested  to  me  to  say  to  these  men  who  had  given  much  before, 
"Perhaps  you  want  to  do  something  more  to  help  in  this  need  of 
ours."  So  they  sat  down  and  took  pieces  of  paper,  and  some  pledged 
$25  and  some  $5.  And  in  twenty  minutes  they  gave  over  seven  hun- 
dred dollars!  I  told  you  the  other  night  about  the  Chinese  boy  who 
had  only  $350,  and  who  gave  $300  of  that  to  our  work,  after  he  had 
heard  me  speak  about  the  need. 

Now  I  am  sure,  my  dear  friends,  that  you  do  not  want  me  to  carry 
the  burdens  of  training  one  hundred  missionaries  alone.  I  am  sure 
you  want  to  say  both  to  these  men  and  to  me:  "We  are  going  to 
stand  by  you  in  this  work.  We  are  going  to  pray  for  you  and  help 
you  financially.  We  don't  want  you  to  bear  all  the  burden  and  go 
beyond  your  strength.     We  do  want  to  help  you." 


THE  CLOSING  WORD 

By  DR.  BROOKS 

MY  dear  friends,  this  really  has  been  one  of  the  best  weeks 
I  ever  had;  and  I  cannot  tell  you  how  happy  I  have  been. 
There  is  nothing  for  me  to  do  just  now  but  to  look  up  and 
thank  our  heavenly  Father,  and  to  be  thankful  to  you  for  your 
co-operation.  I  am  sorry  that  Brother  Fetler  has  been  giving  me 
credit  that  does  not  belong  to  me  at  all.  I  wonder  if  you  remember, 
when  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  were  rebuilt  under  Nehemiah's  direction, 
that  the  people  were  undoubtedly  saying:  "What  a  wonderful  man 
Nehemiah  is,  see  how  the  wall  has  been  built  because  of  his  leader- 
ship!" But  what  did  Nehemiah  say?  "So  finished  we  the  building 
of  the  wall,  for  the  people  had  a  mind  to  work."  The  beautiful  thing 
about  this  conference  is  that  every  man  on  the  Executive  Committee 
has  had  a  mind  to  work,  and  I  want  now  to  say  this  word:  While 
I  have  had  a  great  deal  of  experience  with  different  men  representing 
different  nationalities,  and  have  been  privileged  to  call  men  of  all 
nationalities  my  brethren  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  have  never  been 
happier  than  in  the  fellowship  we  have  had  together  here,  particu- 
larly with  our  dear  Brother  Hoijer,  with  whom  I  became  acquainted 
last  Autumn;  and  then  with  our  dear  Brother  Fetler,  who  in  the 
Winter  brought  such  blessing  and  inspiration  to  all  of  us. 

Loyalty  and  Love,  Our  Watchwords 

Now  as  this  conference  is  closing,  I  want  to  thank  God  with  you 
for  this  blessed  fellowship,  and  for  the  way  in  which  God  has  put 
this  work  upon  our  hearts.  Just  think  of  this  choir  coming  over 
here  tonight  from  the  Bohemian  Baptist  Church.  I  have  known  that 
church  for  a  long  time,  and  it  has  a  splendid  lot  of  workers.  Oh,  I 
believe  America  is  turning  to  God,  and  our  people  are  going  to  work 
and  to  help!  Why  do  we  love  each  other?  Why  do  I  love  Brother 
Neprash,  whom  I  never  saw  till  last  March?  It  is  because  in  him 
and  these  other  brethren  I  find  devotion  to  my  blessed  Saviour. 
"Loyalty"  and  "love"  have  been  our  watchwords,  and,  in  closing,  I 
can  testify  that  this  has  been  a  conference  of  loyalty  to  Christ,  and  a 
conference  of  brotherly  love,  and  now  may  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  us  all!     Amen. 


240 


THE  CONFERENCE  MESSAGE 

Prepared  by  a  Committee  of  which  Rev.  Prof.  R.  M.  Russell  was 
Chairman,  and  Adopted  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Alliance 
for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia. 

AFTER  centuries  of  civil  and  religious  oppression,  the  revolution 
in  Russia  has  opened  the  way  for  religious  liberty.  An  empire 
embracing  one-sixth  of  the  land  surface  of  the  earth,  including 
more  than  one-half  of  Europe  and  the  whole  of  Northern  Asia  is  thrown 
open  to  Gospel  propagation. 

Startling  Facts 

Facts  of  startling  significance  challenge  those  who-  yearn  to  fulfill 
the  Master's  command  for  world  evangelization.  Russia  has  more 
than  182,000,000  inhabitants,  the  largest  population  of  white  people 
in  the  world.  The  Greek  Orthodox  Church,  although  claiming  the 
adherency  of  70  per  cent  of  the  population,  is  utterly  without  spiritual 
power  to  reach  the  masses  with  a  vital  Christianity. 

Adequate  evangelism  must  embrace  not  only  the  100,000,000  native 
Russians,  but  also  the  6,000,000  Jews,  the  20,000,000  Poles,  the 
30,000,000  Ukrainians,  the  14,000,000  Mohammedans,  also  Armenians, 
Roumanians,  Greeks,  Bulgarians,  Servians,  Croatians,  Montenegrins, 
and  other  related  Slavonic  people.  Never  have  the  true  followers 
of  Christ  been  confronted  by  a  more  important  and  alluring  task. 

That  the  work  of  presenting  a  living  Christ  to  the  millions  of 
Russia  should  be  immediate  is  enforced  by  the  fact  that  the  propa- 
ganda of  atheism  and  materialism  is  already  assuming  large  pro- 
portions, while  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  Russian  mind  during 
the  horrors  of  war  involves  the  possibility  of  millions  being  led  away 
from  all  form  of  Christian  faith  into  complete  infidelity. 

Present  Emergency 

t 

In   this    emergency,    some    to    whom   the    evangelization    of   Russia 

presents  itself  as  the  greatest  need  and  the  greatest  opportunity  of 
this  generation  have  realized  the  necessity  for  a  "fiying  squadron" 
of  Christian  effort  which  shall  at  once  carry  the  Gospel  by  the  written 
and  spoken  Word  to  the  Russian  people.  It  is  recognized  that  exist- 
ing denominational  boards  and  agencies  will  approach  this  task, 
but  that  under  present  world-war  conditions  the  work  of  all  will  be 
painfully  inadequate,  and  that  there  is  need  for  a  union  of  effort  in 

241 


242  The  Conference  Message 

which  the  faith  and  love  of  Christ's  people  for  Russia  may  find 
expression  without  reference  to  denominational  lines,  carrying  to  her 
people  a  Christ  rather  than  a  creed,  and  a  personal  Saviour  rather 
than  any  system  of  faith  and  order  developed  through  centuries  of 
controversy. 

Encouraging  Features 

As  an  encouragement  to  immediate  effort  and  for  guidance  as  to 
what  the  nature  of  that  effort  should  be,  the  following  facts  should  be 
considered: 

1.  There  are  scores,  and  perhaps  hundreds,  of  evangelical  mission- 
aries in  Russia  at  the  present  time,  who  although  banished  from  their 
fields  of  labor  and  living  in  obscurity,  are  still  heroes  of  the  faith 
and  ready  to  engage  in  new  effort  for  Christ  if  supported  and  encour- 
aged in  their  work. 

2.  There  is  immediate  need  of  hundreds  of  missionaries  who  are 
familiar  with  the  Russian  and  other  Slavonic  and  Eastern  languages. 
These  are  not  to  be  found  in  our  theological  seminaries  but  may  be 
sought  out  from  among  our  Russian  immigrant  population  and 
trained  in  exceptional  ways  (such  as  the  Russian  Bible  Institute 
of  Philadelphia  and  other  agencies  to  be  formed  may  provide),  for 
the  work  they  shall  be  called  to  do.  The  King's  business  requires 
haste,  and  there  is  wisdom  in  choosing  Russians  for  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  Russia,  thus  saving  for  the  practical  work  of  the  Gospel  the 
years  usually  employed  for  the  mastery  of  a  new  language. 

3.  The  great  masses  of  Russian  and  other  Slavonic  immigrants  in 
this  country  should  be  brought  immediately  under  the  power  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ.  Any  work  undertaken  for  the  evangelization  of 
Russia  will  also  furnish  Christian  workers  for  our  immigrant  popu- 
lation, thus  performing  the  double  function  of  raising  America  to  a 
higher  degree  of  citizenship  and  of  furnishing  religious  leaders  from 
the  immigrant  population  in  America  for  work  in  Russia.  So  our 
own  nation  will  be  blessed  and  a  new  bond  of  international  sympathy 
and  world  fellowship  will  be  secured. 

Plans  Outlined 

To  achieve  these  aims  The  Alliance  for  the  Evangelization  of 
Russia  has  been  formed  with  certain  definite  purposes  herein  defined: 

1.  To  hold  conferences  in  different  centers  of  the  United  States, 
Canada,  Great  Britain,  Norway,  Sweden,  and  other  countries,  so  that 
the  thrilling  fact  concerning  Russia's  needs  may  arouse  international 
interest,  and  that  united  prayer  may  result  in  such  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  the  followers  of  Christ  in  all  lands  that  these  may 


The  Conference  Message  243 

give  themselves,  or  their  money,  or  both,  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
in   Russia. 

2.  To  arrange  for  the  distribution  of  Bibles  and  evangelical  liter- 
ature to  all  the  people  of  the  Russian  Empire,  and  for  the  sending 
of  evangelists,  colporteurs,  and  Christian  workers  into  all  parts  of 
that  land. 

3.  To  assist  those  who  offer  themselves  for  work  in  Russia  in 
every  possible  way,  both  as  to  preparation  and  reaching  the  field. 

4.  To  found,  or  to  assist  in  the  founding,  and  support  of  institu- 
tions in  Russia  and  elsewhere  which  shall  serve  as  centers  for  the 
training  of  evangelists,   preachers,  and   Christian  workers. 

5.  To  administer  the  contributions  for  these  purposes  wisely  and 
carefully,  so  as  to  secure  the  largest  possible  results  for  Christian 
beneficence. 

Religious  Liberty  Fund 

To  this  end  the  members  of  the  Alliance  have  set  themselves  to 
raise  "A  Three-Million-Dollar  Religious  Liberty  Fund  for  Russia," 
with  aims  of  distribution  as  follows: 

One  million  dollars  for  the  publication  of  Bibles  and  Christian  liter- 
ature. 

One  million  dollars  for  training  and  preparing  missionaries  and 
evangelists. 

One  million  dollars  for  direct  evangelistic  work  among  the  Russian 
people. 

In  administering  the  funds  contributed,  it  is  not  the  purpose  to 
confine  effort  to  that  which  can  be  accomplished  by  the  immediate 
efforts  of  the  Alliance,  but  to  use  wisely  other  channels  of  effort: 

1.  To  either  publish,  or  purchase  through  existing  publication  socie- 
ties. Bibles,  portions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  evangelical  litera- 
ture for  distribution  in  Russia. 

2.  To  assist  men  and  women  in  their  preparation  for  the  work, 
paying  in  part  or  in  whole  for  their  support  during  their  period  of 
preparation,  or  while  preaching  or  teaching  the  Gospel  in  Russia. 
This  support  may  be  granted  to  those  who  present  themselves  either 
on  individual  responsibility  or  through  the  various  missionary  boards, 
churches,  and  organizations,  whose  beliefs  and  purposes  are  in  accord 
with  those  held   by   the   Alliance. 

Creedal  Statement 

That  those  united  for  the  Christ-glorifying  work  of  evangelizing 
Russia  may  have  a  sense  of  fellowship  in  faith,  hope  and  love,  the 
following  creedal  statement  is  presented  as  expressing  in  brief  out- 


244  The  Conference  Message 

line  the  conviction  of  those  who  unite  with  each  other  for  the  task 
named : 

1.  We  believe  in  the  Godhead,  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit,  one 
God  in  whom  all  things  have  their  source,  support  and  end. 

2.  We  believe  in  the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God;  the  revelation  of 
His  character  and  work  and  the  expression  of  His  will  for  man;  the 
only  source  of  authority  in  spiritual  truth,  and  the  rule  of  faith  and 
practice.  We  account  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments 
as  infallible,  the  expression  of  divine  thought  in  divinely  chosen 
human  words  as  "men  spoke  from  God,  being  moved  by  the  Holy 
Spirit." 

3.  We  believe  in  the  deity  of  Jesus  Christ;  His  eternal  oneness  with 
the  Father;  His  virgin  birth  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit; 
so  that  He  was  "God  manifested  in  the  flesh,"  or  God-expressed  in 
terms  of  humanity  for  self-revelation  and  saving  power. 

4.  We  believe  in  salvation  through  Divine  sacrifice;  that  all  men 
sharing  the  fallen  nature  of  our  first  parents  are  "dead  in  trespasses 
and  in  sins,"  "separated  from  the  life  of  God  through  the  ignorance 
that  is  in  them,"  and  subject  to  the  penalty  of  broken  law  through 
actual  transgression;  that  "God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world 
unto  Himself,  not  reckoning  unto  them  their  trespasses";  that  in 
the  cross  of  Christ  sin  was  borne  and  a  righteousness  of  God  was 
manifested  that  God  "might  Himself  be  just  and  the  justifier  of  him 
that   hath   faith    in   Jesus." 

5.  We  believe  in  the  physical  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from 
the  dead.  His  ascent  to  the  heavenly  places,  and  in  His  bodily  pres- 
ence in  glorified  form  at  the  right  hand  of  God  as  our  Priest  and 
Advocate.  < 

6.  We  believe  in  the  deity  and  personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who 
through  the  ages  shared  with  the  Father  and  Son  all  work  of  crea- 
tion, providence,  and  revelation,  and  that  at  Pentecost  His  ministra- 
tion was  broadened  to  baptize  all  believers  into  one  body,  that  He 
indwells  believers  producing  consciousness  of  sonship  with  God  and 
energizing  for  service;  that  He  is  the  administrator  of  Christ  in  the 
Church  and  is  present  to  "convict  the  world  in  respect  of  sin,  and  of 
righteousness   and  of  judgment." 

7.  We  believe  that  the  Church  of  Christ  consists  of  those  who  in 
every  age  become  united  to  Christ  by  living  faith  and  the  indwelling 
of  the  Holy  Spirit;  that  the  Church  is  thus  a  spiritual  organism,  the 
body  of  Christ;  that  companies  of  believers  in  every  age  and  locality 
united  by  common  purposes  of  worship  and  service  are  in  their  con- 
gregational and  denominational  forms,  organizations  properly  desig- 
nated as  churches,  but  that  only  the  body  of  true  believers  united  to 
Christ  by  faith  and  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  constitutes  the 
Church. 


The  Conference  Message  245 

8.  We  believe  in  the  great  commission  which  our  Lord  has  given  to 
His  Church  to  evangelize  the  world,  and  that  this  evangelization  is 
the  supreme  task  of  believers. 

9.  We  believe  in  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  that 
God  "hath  appointed  a  day  in  which  He  will  judge  the  world  in 
righteousness  by  the  man  whom  He  hath  ordained,  whereof  He  hath 
given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in  that  He  hath  raised  Him  from  the 
dead"  (Acts  17:31);  that  this  coming  of  our  Lord  in  its  imminence 
is  "the  blessed  hope"  of  believers;  that  the  day  of  judgment  being 
like  the  day  of  grace  an  era  of  time,  will  include  the  glorious  events 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  believing  dead,  the  glorification  of  living 
believers,  the  manifestation  of  Christ  and  His  saints  for  world  judg- 
ment and  reign  of  righteousness,  and  the  judgment  of  the  Great  White 
Throne,  in  which  the  wicked  dead  and  fallen  angels  will  receive 
their  final  doom. 

10.  We  believe  that  human  character  in  its  attitude  toward  Christ 
assumes  conditions  of  permanence;  that  there  is  a  heaven  of  blessed- 
ness for  the  righteous  in  the  unshadowed  presence  of  God,  and  a  hell 
of  conscious  loss  and  punishment  for  the  wicked,  and  that  these  states 
are   permanent,  eternal. 

Furthermore,  we  exhort  the  people  of  God  in  all  denominations  to 
stand  for  these  great  truths  so  much  rejected  in  our  day  and  to 
contend  earnestly  "for  the  faith  which  was  once  for  all  delivered  unto 
the  saints." 


BRIEF  MESSAGES  FROM  SOME  ABSENTEES 

The  appeal  finds  a  warm  welcome  and  response  in  my  heart. 

Henry  W.  Feost, 
China  Inland  Mission. 

I  do  hope  and  pray  the  right  way  will  be  found  to  deal  with  this 
great  problem. 

RoBEET  E.  Speer, 

New  York. 

Yes,  count  me  in  on  this  if  you  feel  that  I  can  do  anything  worth 
while  to  aid. 

H.  H.  Bell, 
San  Francisco  Theological  Seminary. 

This  will  be  a  step  to  lead  to  the  right  conclusion  in  the  advance 
movement  for  this  great  country. 

John  Timothy  Stone, 

Chicago. 

I  am  in  full  sympathy  with  the  plans  outlined  in  the  Manifesto. 
Keep  me  posted  with  literature,  etc. 

Daniel  Hoffman  Martin, 
Fort  Washington  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York. 

Seldom  have  I  signed  my  name  to  anything  with  such  satisfaction 
and  gladness   (as  the  Manifesto  calling  this  conference). 

E.  August  Skogsbergh, 
Swedish  Tabernacle  Church,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

I  am  sorry  indeed  that  I  cannot  attend  the  conference  from  June 
24th  to  28th.     My  whole  heart  is  with  you  in  this  great  work. 

Austin  K.  De  Blois, 
First  Baptist  Church,  Boston,  Mass. 

I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed  to  be  kept  informed  of  the  progress  of 
your  plans,  and  we  will  give  publicity  to  them  in  the  Review. 

Delavan  L.  Pierson,  Editor, 
Missionary  Review  of  the  World,  New  York. 
246 


Brief  Messages  from  Some  Absentees  247 

I  trust  that  the  presence  of  the  Lord  may  be  manifest  in  every 
session  of  the  conference,  and  that  it  may  contribute  largely  to  the 
evangelization  of  Russia  in  this  hour  of  her  crisis  and  of  missionary 
opportunity. 

A.  J.  Ramsey, 
Dean,  Missionary  Training  Institute,  New  York. 

I  am  increasingly  impressed  with  the  tremendous  opportunities  of 
the  evangelization  of  Russia  and  with  God's  evident  hand  in  it  all, 
and  am  grateful  to  have  even  the  small  touch  with  the  movement, 
and  with  the  plans  for  a  conference. 

Chaeles  Gallaudet  Trumbull, 

Editor,  Sunday  School  Times. 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  signing  the  Manifesto.  I  have  the  con- 
version of  Russia  on  my  heart.  I  have  been  praying  daily  for  her 
for  years.  I  am  ready  to  give  my  person,  time  and  means  that  Russia 
may  be  saved.    May  God  bless  this  movement!     I  believe  He  will. 

Don  S.  Colt, 
Madison  Square  M.  E.  Church,  Baltimore,  Md. 

I  am  very  glad  to  know  of  the  bright  prospects  for  your  conference 
in  Chicago.  I  do  wish  it  were  possible  for  me  to  be  with  you  even  for 
a  day,  but  I  fear  it  is  wholly  out  of  the  question.  My  work  here,  and 
with  the  National  Service  Commission,  have  so  developed  that  they 
are  claiming  every  minute  of  my  time. 

John  F.  Carson, 
Central  Presbyterian  Church,  Brooklyn,  New  York. 

Cablegram  from  Petrograd 
Per  Ro'bert  Lansing,  Secretary  of  State. 

Invitation  received  today,  June  12th.  Regret  necessary  absence. 
Methodists  are  praying  for  blessed  conference  in  Russia's  behalf,  also 
for  world  made  safe  for  Christian  democracy.  Sing:  "Faith  of  Our 
Fathers."  G.  A.  Simons, 

Superintendent,  M.  E.  work  at  Petrograd. 

I  have  read  the  statement  of  the  call  with  much  interest.  We  be- 
lieve, with  those  interested  in  the  calling  of  this  conference,  that 
there  is  a  wonderful  opportunity  for  the  Christian  world  today  in 
making  the  effort  for  the  evangelization  of  Russia.  Therefore  you  may 
count  upon  us  as  heartily  approving  the  conference. 

William  Albert  Harbison, 

Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


248  Brief  Messages  from  Some  Absentees 

I  am  thinking  much  of  you  this  week  and  praying  for  a  blessing 
upon  your  conference.  If  I  could  only  have  come  to  be  with  you  I 
should  have  been  very  happy,  but  it  was  impossible.  With  warm  re- 
gards, and  praying  that  light  may  shine  upon  the  nation  now  suffer- 
ing so  terribly,  I  am,  Faithfully  yours, 

Floyd  W.  Tomkins, 
Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  Philadelphia. 

I  am  confident  that  while  the  conference  is  kept  true  to  the  evangel- 
ical spirit,  its  aims  will  be  broad  and  inclusive,  and  will  not  fall  into 
the  hands  of  extremists  in  any  line  of  thought  that  will  make  it  im- 
possible for  good  people  who  do  not  believe  in  all  points  as  we  do,  to 
join  heartily  in  support  of  the  work.  Such  a  great  idea  as  the  evangel- 
ization of  Russia  demands  the  co-operation  of  all  evangelical  Chris- 
tians, however,  they  may  differ  one  from  another  in  regard  to  points 
which  are  not  essential  to  the  genuine  evangelical  faith.  The  atheism 
and  materialism  of  Russia  which  we  must  fight  demand  the  co-opera- 
tion of  all  earnest  Christians  who  are  in  essential  agreement  con- 
cerning  the   truth.  Francis   E.    Clark, 

United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  Boston,  Mass. 

From  Evangelical  Committee  in  Sweden. 

We  here  in  Sweden  have  been  waiting  for  this  many  years.  We 
thank  you  for  the  invitation  to  a  General  Conference  in  Chicago.  For 
several  reasons  we  are  not  able  to  send  any  representatives  from  our 
organization,  but  we  will  avail  ourselves  of  this  opportunity  of  calling 
attention  to  a  matter  regarding  the  work  in  Russia,  which  we  hope 
will  be  considered  by  the  conference. 

In  our  work  which  now  has  been  going  on  for  fourteen  years  we 
have  followed  the  principle  of  not  pressing  any  certain  denominational 
doctrines  or  not  trying  to  win  the  Russians  for  any  special  church. 
Our  aim  has  been  to  give  them  the  Gospel  in  their  own  language  and 
to  teach  them  the  fundamental  Christian  truths  in  order  that  they 
may  be  converted  and  become  living  Christian  believers.  Which  de- 
nomination each  person  afterwards  should  choose  to  join  is  a  matter 
of  very  secondary  importance  and  should  never  be  allowed  to  disturb 
the  peace,  love  and  confidence  between  those  who  have  become  true 
Christians. 

We  are  earnestly  hoping  that  this  General  Conference  in  America 
will  be  successful  in  stimulating  the  intense  interest  of  the  American 
Christian  people  for  evangelical  work  in  Russia  and  that  great  results 
may  come  from  your  meeting. 

May  God's  blessing  be  with  you  all  in  this  all  important  work! 
The  Committee  for  Evangelical  Mission  in  Russia, 
Stockholm,  May  3,  1918.  P.  E.  Werner,  Chairman. 


APPENDIX 


A  AVORD  OF  ENTREATY 

From  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  address  of  Dr.  S.  Parkes  Cadman,  delivered  at 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  Sunday,  October  6th,  1918,  and  reported 
in  the  "Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle,"  of  October  7th. 

Let  us  keep  the  sympathetic  intelligence  toward  Russia  which 
President  Wilson  has  nobly  recommended.  Here,  as  he  has  hinted, 
is  the  twentieth  century  field  for  democracy's  missionary  toils.  Here 
are  different  races  to  be  welded  into  one  by  these  values  in  religion 
and  in  politics  which  we  have  tested  and  found  sufficient  for  our 
unification.  Here  is  hazard  enough  for  the  courageous,  problems  which 
will  tax  our  wisdom  but  also  probabilities  which  guarantee  new  vision 
for  those  that  sit  in  darkness,  while  beneath  their  unwilling  feet  is 
the  wherewithal  for  a  rejuvenated  Europe  and  Asia. 

Potential  Russia  is  the  key  to  the  many  barriers  in  the  vexed 
situation.  It  promises  that  continents  shall  be  recast  and  the  world 
insured  against  the  nests  of  potentates  and  madmen  who  wantonly 
usurp  its  peace  and  prosperity.  A  United  States  of  Russia,  or  even  a 
constitutional  monarchy  there,  after  the  pattern  of  the  British  mon- 
archy, might  consolidate  the  salutary  features  of  the  past  and  equip 
them  for  their  work  in  the  future.  The  synthesis  will  be  worked  out 
by  the  sentiment  of  sacred  nationality,  which  subserves  progress.  It 
needs  counsel,  stimulus,  steady  friendship.  If  you  require  more  than 
nationalism  (and  who  does  not?),  remember  that  the  pan-human  ideals 
have  a  warm  place  in  the  Russian  soul.  Many  of  her  children  who 
died  martyrs  against  the  former  usurpations  did  so,  not  for  local  free- 
dom alone,  but  for  universal  fraternity.  The  music,  the  literature, 
the  unuttered  aspirations  of  Russia  on  the  Mount  have  nothing  narrowly 
domestic  in  them.  They  do  not  babble  in  local  dialects,  nor  exhibit  a 
fettered  nature.  They  prophesy  an  all-inclusive  human  society,  a  true 
Catholicism  to  which  we  must  be  alert,  or  the  world-republic  distant 
but  ever-nearing  will  have  little  meaning  for  us. 

Dostoievsky  called  Russia,  "the  God-bearer,"  giving  to  Europe  the 
Christ  child.  Strange  as  this  may  seem  to  some,  the  regeneration  of 
her  whole  body,  its  crystallization  in  political  unity,  its  dreams  and 
its  daring,  its  power  to  rise  above  the  encircling  floods,  is  found  in 
Jesus.  And  the  brotherliness,  the  generosity,  the  candor  of  the  Russian 
character  at  its  normal  stage  proceed  from  the  trust  in  Jesus,  which 
has  found  expression  in  the  past.  "What  else  can  the  torn  and  bleed- 
ing nations  look  to  for  help  and  healing?    We  cannot  give  to  Russia 

249 


250  ,  Appendix 

what  she  sorely  needs  unless  we  have  it  to  give.  And  therefore  we 
must  claim  a  new  precedence  for  things  that  matter  most.  Unless  in 
the  hour  of  trial  and  in  the  more  momentous  reconstruction  that  will 
inevitably  come,  when  the  last  shot  has  been  fired,  a  genuinely  Chris- 
tian spirit  of  love  and  forbearance  and  unselfish  ministry  is  found  in 
the  Allied  peoples  they  will  have  lost  that  for  which  their  sons  have 
died.  There  will  have  to  be  radical  changes  in  the  attitude  and  rela- 
tion of  nations  and  churches  toward  each  other.  Surely  here  is  a 
subject  which  calls  insistently  for  all  the  good  sense  and  the  grace 
Christians  can  acquire  and  use.  And  no  object  for  their  service  is 
more  necessitous,  more  responsive  than  staggering  Russia,  coming  up 
out  of  the  horrible  pit  and  stretching  out  bleeding  hands  for  the  clasp 
of  the  peoples  who  believe  in  Him,  who  taught  them  the  parable  of 
the  Good  Samaritan. 


RUSSIA'S  LATEST  APPEAL 

Prof.  I.  V.  Neprash  reports  in  "The  Friend  of  Russia"  of  September, 
1918,  a  letter  just  received,  from  a  former  fellow  worker,  which  is 
written  from  Samara  on  the  Volga,  and  from  which  the  following  is 
an  extract: 

"There  have  been  many  changes  here,  and  the  situation  is  growing 
more  serious  every  day.  The  Bolsheviki  issued  a  decree  separating 
church  from  state,  and  have  confiscated  all  church  property,  and  pri- 
vate property  as  well,  for  the  state's  use,  and  the  people  no  longer  have 
any  legal  redress.  As  a  result  of  this  upheaval  we  can  foresee  great 
financial  distress.  Traveling  is  becoming  more  difficult;  the  work  of 
evangelization  has  to  face  many  hindrances,  and  if  continued,  the 
evangelist  will  have  to  draw  on  his  own  resources,  for,  with  the  already 
impoverished  condition  of  the  people,  they  cannot  do  much  for  the 
work.  Believers  recognize  the  necessity  of  reconstruction  and  expan- 
sion of  mission  work  so  that  it  may  suit  the  changed  political  condi- 
tions in  Russia. 

"The  whole  state  of  affairs  is  most  disquieting  and  discouraging. 
Wanton  destruction  continues.  Most  of  the  industries  are  closed,  and 
it  is  now  almost  impossible  for  the  people  to  obtain  work.  The  causa- 
tive factor  in  all  of  this  is  largely  the  ignorant  and  superstitious.  Ab- 
sence of  culture,  rudeness  of  character,  lack  of  moral  principle  and 
education  have  brought  matters  so  far  that  there  is  little  hope  of 
reconstruction  for  the  next  three  or  four  years.  Already  there  has 
begun  an  exodus  to  America  and  Australia,  especially  among  the  edu- 
cated classes.  The  Russian  'intelligents'  have  suffered  unto  death  for 
Russia's  political  freedom,  and  now  they  are  counted  as  contra-revolu- 


Appendix  251 

tionists  and  are  obliged  to  emigrate  for  personal  safety.    Confusion  of 
tongues,  as  at  the  Tower  of  Babel,  now  prevails. 

"I  beseech  the  American  Christians:  'Earnestly  endeavor  to  meet 
the  Russians  in  America  and  teach  them  the  Gospel,  that  they  may 
return  and  bring  to  the  needy  ones  here  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ 
Jesus,  for  only  the  light  of  the  Gospel  can  dispel  the  darkness  that 
still  prevails.' 

"But,  although  the  darkness  is  deep  and  hate  and  indifference  most 
appalling,  there  are  some  encouraging  signs  of  awakening  of  believers 
in  different  parts  of  Russia.  In  Samara  we  had  a  special  evangelistic 
campaign  for  two  weeks.  Every  evening  mass  meetings  were  held  in 
large  halls,  and  during  the  day  the  work  was  carried  on  in  the  shops, 
in  the  markets,  in  the  stations,  on  the  streets,  and  wherever  people 
could  be  reached.  . 

"The  Greek  Orthodox  Church  is  losing  ground;  the  people  are  doing 
some  religious  work,  but  mixing  it  with  politics.  In  our  city  we  had 
three  days'  fasting  and  repentance.  We  marched  through  the  streets 
carrying  banners  with  inscriptions  such  as  these:  'Pear  God  and  Give 
Glory  to  Him';  'Repent,  and  Believe  the  Gospel';  'Lord,  Forgive  the 
People  and  Save  Russia.'  The  Greek  Orthodox  people  did  the  same, 
but  instead  of  banners  they  carried  their  holy  images.  About  forty 
were  converted  during  our  campaign.  Greek  Orthodoxy  is  giving  place  . 
to  evangelical  Christian  faith." 


CHINA  AND  RUSSIA 

Dr.  Charles  Ernest  Scott  of  Tsingtao,  North  China,  whose  recent 
book,  "China  from  Within,"  is  dedicated  by  permission  to  "my  honored 
teacher,  Woodrow  Wilson,"  in  a  personal  letter  to  the  editor  under  date 
of  August  31st,  1918,  writes: 

"I  am  very  much  interested  in  the  'First  General  Conference  for 
the  Evangelization  of  Russia,'  and  would  be  grateful  for  any  detailed 
information  you  may  give  me,  or  any  source  of  such  information  with 
which  you  can  put  me  in  touch.  The  German  menace  in  Russia  has 
now  reached  us  here  at  the  gates  of  the  far  East.  Their  craft  and 
turpitude  and  pitilessness  are  no  longer  things  to  be  vaguely  feared 
as  in  the  past,  but  they  are  at  our  very  door  in  terrible  realism. 

"We  pray  for  your  work  and  solicit  your  prayers  for  ours," 


IMPORTANT  ANNOUNCEMENT 

Agencies  for  Russian  Work  Unified 

As  a  result  of  the  Chicago  Conference  in  the  interest  of  Russia, 
there  was  organized  the  Alliance  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia, 
with  purposes  of  immediate  effort  to  carry  the  Gospel  by  the  written 
and  spoken  word  into  that  land,  and  for  the  establishment  and  main- 
tenance of  educational  and  missionary  centers.  Prior  to  the  Chicago 
Conference  the  Russian  Missionary  and  Educational  Society  had  been 
organized  with  central  offices  in  Philadelphia,  and  with  the  Russian 
Bible  Institute  as  a  credential  of  its  purpose  and  activity.  This  society 
received  its  charter  of  incorporation  during  the  period  of  the  Chicago 
Conference,  its  statement  of  purposes  embodying  the  same  lines  of 
effort  proposed  by  the  newly  organized  Alliance  for  the  Evangelization 
of  Russia.  In  order  that  there  might  not  be  two  agencies  in  the  field 
with  practically  the  same  aims  and  purposes,  and  dependence  on  the 
same  constituency,  steps  have  been  taken  for  the  amalgamation  of  the 
two  organizations,  and,  on  Wednesday,  November  6th,  1918,  a  joint 
committee  consisting  of  an  equal  number  from  the  respective  boards  of 
the  Russian  Missionary  and  Educational  Society,  and  the  Alliance  for 
the  Evangelization  of  Russia,  met  for  conference  at  the  William  Penn 
Hotel  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  the  members  of  this  committee  being 
empowered  to  act  for  their  respective  organizations,  a  union  was 
effected  under  the  name  of  the  Russian  Missionary  and  Educational 
Society  and  the  charter  as  already  secured  under  that  name.  The 
united  boards  will  constitute  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  unified 
society,  while  the  work  of  the  society  will  be  carried  on  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  include  the  original  purposes  of  the  two  organizations 
and  the  full  utilization  of  the  forces  of  both,  and  meantime  the  Chi- 
cago Tract  Society,  under  whose  auspices  the  preliminary  steps  of 
this  conference  were  taken,  will  continue  to  the  utmost  of  its  ability 
its  aggressively  evangelical,  but  strictly  interdenominational  work, 
for  the  millions  from  Russia  who  are  now  on  this  side  the  Atlantic. 

It  is  believed  that  the  unification  of  agencies  for  the  evangelization 
of  Russia  as  thus  secured  will  meet  the  approval  of  all  thoughtful 
people  and  be  a  means  of  hastening  effective  Gospel  work  in  that 
needy  land,  the  appeal  of  which  is  set  forth  with  clearness  and  pathos 
in  the  lines  on  the  opposite  page. 


252 


THE  CRY  OF  RUSSIA 

William  Fetler 

Will  you  listen  to  the  cry  of  Russia? 

WiVl  you  hearken  as  her  children  weep? 
They  are  hungry,  hut  the  -fields  are  barren, 

They  are  thirsty,  and  the  well  is  deep. 

Yea  and  deep  in  sin  their  souls  are  sunken, 
''Miry  clay,"  foundation  for  their  feet. 

So  the  ages  went  with  no  glad  footsteps, 
No  one  came  with  peace  and  joy  to  greet. 

And   they  suffered  till  their  chains  grew  rusty, 
And  they  waited  till  their  eyes  grew  dim. 

Oh  of  life,  in  very  death  despairing, 
Long  they  waited  to  he  told  of  HIM. 

Him  who  suffered,  yea  and  died  to  save  them, 
Him  who  waited  long  for  their  return. 

As  they  listened  to  their  Shepherd's  story. 
How  for  joy  their  hearts  within  did  hum! 

Chains  at  last  are  hroken!    Exile  places 
By  the  Cross  are  changed  to  Christian  homes; 

And  the  Word  is  preached  throughout  the  nation, 
Both  in  peasant  huts  and  princely  domes. 

They  are  waiting,  Russia's  millions  waiting, 
Only  few  are  freed  hy  Christ  as  yet. 

Who  will  go,  and  who  tvill  help  the  going? 
Hasten  then,  hefore  the  sun  is  set! 


SUBJECT  INDEX 


Aderbeyjan  dialect,  165. 

Afg-hanistan,  166. 

Aijian,  Rev.  M.  M.,  20,  122. 

Alag-ats  Mountain,  173. 

Alaska,  reaching  Russia  through, 
57,  59,  60. 

Alexander  I,  Czar,  93;  helped  cir- 
culate Bible,  157,   163,   165. 

Alexander  II,  157. 

Alliance  for  Evangelization  of  Rus- 
sia  organized,   233. 

America,  in  present  crisis,  59;  must 
lead,  60,  180;  opportunity  in  Rus- 
sia, 180;  debt  to  Russia,  105. 

American  missions  and  schools  in 
Bulgaria,    114. 

American  Red  Cross,    61,   180. 

Amirkhaniantz,    Abraham,   165. 

Antoszewski,  Constantine,  108,  230. 

Ararat,  173. 

Armageddon,  214. 

Armenians,  first  nation  to  accept 
Christianity,  122;  suffering  and 
starving,   123. 

Baedeker,   Dr.   F.  W.,  104. 

Baptist  Bible  Institution,  171. 

Baptism,  in  Dnieper,  87;  at  mid- 
night, 171. 

Baptist  Stundists,   165. 

Basel  Missionaries,   165. 

Bell,    Rev.    Ernest   A.,    Poem,    7. 

Bell,   Rev.  Hugh  H.,  21,  246. 

Bible  Institute,  Russian,  18,  28; 
students  of,    26,  27,  237. 

Bible,  needed,  18;  not  prohibited  in 
Russia,  157,  170;  a  marvelous 
book,   231. 

Bible  prophecy  versus  political 
philosophy,   195. 

Bible  Society,  104,  169,  170;  Rus- 
sian, 93;  British  and  Foreign,  109. 

Bismarck,   160. 

Blanchard,  Rev.  Charles  A.,   19,  98. 

Bohemians,  115;  immigration  of, 
116;  in  1620  lost  independence, 
116;  Protestant,  117;  in  Russia, 
118. 

Bokhara,    166,  167. 

Bokmelder,   Rev.  John,   171. 

Bolsheviki,    69,   72,   93,   250. 

Brodin,  Rev.   C.   Theo.,  27. 

Brooks,  Rev.  Jesse  W.,  29,  107,  233, 
240. 

Broughton,  Dr.  Len,  238. 

"Bulgarian    Daily    Herald,"    115. 

Bulerarians,  113;  latest  of  immi- 
grants,  114. 

Bulgarian  missions  In  America, 
114. 

Busch,  Gottfried,  201. 

Byzantism,  87. 

Cadman,  Rev.   S.   Parkes,    24!). 

Carlyle,  quoted,  79. 

Carson,  Dr.   John   F.,    19,    247. 


Caspian,  crossing  the,  166. 

Catherine,  163. 

Caucasus,    49,    161,    164,    165,    173. 

Centz,  H.  B.,   205. 

Chapman,   Rev.   J.  Wilbur,   19. 

Charles  XII,  27,  58. 

Chicago,      greatest      Russian      and 

Slavonic    center    in    America,    29, 

107. 
Chicago  Tract  Society,  26,  107,  108, 

112,  124,  208,  252. 
China  and  Russia,  251. 
China  Inland  Mission,  31. 
Chlisti,  91. 
Christian  literature  needed,   18.  94, 

209,  229. 
Clark,  Dr.  Francis  E.,  19,  248. 
Clergy,    low    standard    among-,    88; 

bond    slaves    to   state,    92. 
Cleveland,  ex-President  Grover,  76. 
Colt,  Don  S.,  21,   248. 
Comenius,  John  Amos,    116. 
Concerted    movement,    needed,    185, 

188,  189. 
Conference  of  1884,  162. 
Confusion    of  sects,    229. 
Conrad,   Rev.  A.  Z.,  20. 
Controversy  in  Russian  Church,  88. 
Covenant,       Evangelical      Oriental, 

166. 
Cronstadt,   159. 
Czecho -Slovak  army,  116. 
Czecho  -  Slovaks,    ten    million,    115; 

one-tenth    in   United   States,    117. 

DeBlois,   Rev.  Austin  K.,  19,  246. 
Denominational    differences,    to    be 

avoided,    113,    166,    228,    248. 
Dixon,  Rev.  A.  C,  22. 
Dom  Evangelia   of   Petrograd,   17. 
Dostoievsky,   249. 
Doukhobors,   92,   164. 

Eastern  Churches,  all  auto-ce- 
phalic,  153. 

Emergency,  the  present,  241. 

Encouragement,   242. 

Erivan,   173. 

Evangelization,  a  criminal  offense 
calling    for   banishment,    29,    103. 

Evangelizing-  foreign  neighbors  in 
America,  107;  Armenians,  122; 
Bohemians,  115;  Bulgarians,  113; 
Greeks,  118;  Jews,  141,  226;  Rus- 
sians and  Poles,  108,  200; 
Ukrainians,   169. 

Facts   of   Russia,   startling,   241. 
Fetler,  Pastor  William,  20,  44,  125, 

135.  171.  206,  237,  240,  253. 
Finnish  tribes,  49. 
Flogging.   101,    102,   163. 
Foreign   mission  work  in  America, 

107. 
Frost,   Rev.    Henry   W.,    20,    246. 
Froude   on   Calvinism,    quoted,  158. 
Frykman,   Rev.   A.  T.,   22. 


254 


ti abject  Index 


255 


Galitzin,  Prince,  and  the  Bible,  93. 

Garibaldi,  quoted,   158. 

Gonori,    Archbishop    of    Novgorod, 

87. 
Germany  and  Russia,  58. 
Ghettos,   creating  the,   149. 
Gitlin,   Moses   H.,   202. 
Gladstone,    quoted,    119. 
Gordon,    Rev.    Dr.    G.    E.,    23,    27. 
Gordon,   S.   D.,   19,   68. 
Gossner,  John,  160. 
Grant,   U.  S.,  quoted,  158. 
Gray,    Dr.    James    M.,    180,    210. 
Greeks,  118;  our  debt  to,  119;  gave 

first    democracy    to    world,     119; 

remnant    of    great    nation,     120; 

Greek  Missionary  Home,  121. 
Greek    Orthodox    Church,     17,    153; 

its    peculiarities,    217;    contrasted 

with    western    church,    221,    241; 

giving  place  to  evangelical  faith, 

251. 
Greeley,  Horace,  quoted,  158. 
Greeting  the  prince,  176. 
Grupe,   Mrs.   Myra   Boyington,    202. 
Gustavus  Adolphus,   58. 

Harbison,   William  A.,    19,   247. 

Hirsch,   Baron,    149. 

Hlavaty,  Rev.   V.,  115. 

Hoijer,    Rev.    N.    F.,    20,    27,    28,    54, 

55,  159,  234,  240. 
Hudson   Taylor's   helpers,   31. 
Hundred   Article   Council,    88,    89. 
Hus,    John,    116. 
Hvassman,  A.  L.,  27. 

Illiteracy  great   in   Russia,   49. 
Immigrants,    evangelization   of,   18, 
107;  Jewish,   149, 

Jenghiz  Khan,  53. 

Jews,  six  million  in  Russia,  17,  141, 
241;  Renan's  advice  to,  143;  their 
sects,  146;  method  of  dealing 
with,  147;  expelled  in  1290  A.  D. 
from  Great  Britain,  France  and 
Spain,  148;  effort  to  remove  from 
Russia,    149. 

John   III,   53. 

Johnson,   A.    M.,    18,    19,    23,    233. 

Johnson,  Rev.  Gustaf  F.,  20,  28, 
41,  62. 

Jonson,  Rev.  Elof  K.,  21,  27. 

Kashgar,   166,  167. 

Kahlweit,  165. 

Kiev,   87,    155. 

King,   vision   of  the,   186. 

Kirkbride.   Rev.   S.   H.,   169. 

Kozielek,  Rev.  Paul,  111. 

Kurds,  17,  173,  174;  their  hospital- 
ity, 177;  unique  experience  with, 
178;  Miss  Sundwall's  mission  to, 
179. 

Liberty,     religious     in     Russia,     29, 

103     222   ' 
Lindblom,'  Rev.    Harry,    21,    23,    27, 

233. 
Lydell,  Rev.  Adolph,  21,  161. 


MacKail,  J.  W.,  "Russia's  Gift  to 
the  World,"  70. 

MacKenzie,  J.  Alex.,  20,  25. 

Martin,  Rev.  Daniel  Hoffman,  21, 
246. 

May  Laws  of  1882,  149. 

McArthur,   Rev.   Robert   S.,    76. 

Melville,  William,    164. 

Mennonites,   164. 

Mendelssohn,  Moses,  144. 

Merv,   166. 

Messiah,  misunderstood  by  Jews, 
146. 

"Missionary  Review  of  the  World," 
150,  246. 

Missionary's  weapon,   176. 

Moscow,   convention   of  1917,  89. 

Mohammedans,  17  million  in  Rus- 
sia, 49;  and  Kurds,  173. 

Molokans,    92,    163,    164. 

Mongolian    invasion,   52,    53. 

Montefiore,   Claude,   144. 

Moravian   Brethren,    116. 

Mott,  John  R.,  testimony,  71,  72, 
73,   201. 

Myers,   Rev.   Cortland,   19. 

Neprash,    Prof.    I.    V.,    26,    87,    200, 

206,   240,   250. 
Nestor's   Chronicle,    50,   51. 
Newman,    Rev.    Elias,    217. 
Nicholas  I,  in  1825  put  Bible  under 

ban,    157. 
Nordau,   Max,   testimony,    143. 
Norsemen,   50. 
Novgorod,  155. 
Novikoff,    Madam,    and    Mr.    Stead, 

223. 
Nyvail,  Rev.   David,   21,  57,   66. 

Odessa,   163,   165. 

Olga,   155. 

Olson,   Rev.   Eric,   16,  21,   172. 

Opportunity,  the  present  great,  62, 

85,  157,  180,  202;  seizing  the,  236. 
Orthodox  Church,  89,  153.  (See  also 

Greek  and  Russian  Church.) 

Paletsky,  quoted,   93. 

Papadopoulos,    Rev.    C.    T.,    118. 

Partners   and   partakers,    83,   84. 

Pashkoff,    Col.   B.   A.,   103. 

Pavlof,  Basel,  165. 

Peter   I,  Czar,   58,   89. 

Petrograd,    29,   54,  159,   160. 

Pierson,  Dr.  Arthur  T.,  experience, 
135. 

Pierson,  Delavan  L.,  19,  246. 

Poland,   the   Niobe  of  nations.    111. 

Poles,  17,  108;  not  all  Roman  Cath- 
olics, 112;  great  hindrance  to 
Christian  work  among,  113,  241. 

Polish  paper,  "Words  of  Life,"  113. 

Pope,   Rev.   Howard  W.,   204. 

Prayer  needed,  31,  34;  without 
prayer   book,    231. 

Presbyterians  in  southern  Russia 
(26    congregations),    164. 

Prohibition   of   Vodka,.  49. 

Prophecy,  riches  of,  212. 

Prugavin,  A.   S.,   91. 

Putnam,   C.   E.,   204. 


256 


Subject  Index 


Quakers,  163. 

Rader,  Rev.    Paul,   19,  30. 

Kadstock,    Lord,    104,    160. 

Ramsey,    Dean    A.   J.,    21,    247, 

Rasputin,   132.  ^        .       -.^o 

Relig-ious  liberty  (?)  m  Russia,  103. 

Risberg,   Prof.   Fridolf,    233. 

Rohold,   Rev.    S.    B.,   20,   141. 

Rohrbach,  Rev.  Julius,  21,  25. 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  without 
the  Bible,  110,  111. 

Rothschild,  Baron  Edmund  de,  149. 

Rurik,    52,    58,    155. 

Ruskin,    quoted,    79.  ^     ^  ^^ 

Russell,  Rev.  Robert  M.,  20,  153, 
190,    233,    241. 

Russia,  Prostrate,  7;  population, 
17,  49;  recent  revolution,  17,  72; 
hig-hway  of  nations,  27;  extent 
of,  49,  100;  early  history,  49;  be- 
ginning of  nation,  50;  reaching 
via  Alaska,  57,  60;  our  present 
duty  to,  59;  ignorance  regarding, 
70;  much  misunderstood,  70; 
God's  last  experiment,  73;  had 
no  Reformation,  75;  "the  bearer 
of  God,"  94,  249;  300  years  un- 
der Romanoffs,  101;  religious  lib- 
erty in,  103;  what  is  needed  in, 
139;  empire  founded  in  862  A.  D., 
155;  America's  ally,  180;  prayer 
for,  202;  United  States  of  (?), 
249;  latest  appeal,  250;  "The  Cry 
of,"  253. 

Russian  people,  very  religious,  90; 
hungry  for  God,  93;  their  reli- 
gious ideal,  94;  in  America,  108, 
207;  and  Swedes,   172. 

Russian  Bible  Institute,  18,  26,  127, 
202.    205,    237. 

Russian  Missionary  and  Educa- 
tional Society,  252. 

Russian  Orthodox  Church,  153,  219. 
(See     also     Greek     Church     and 
Orthodox  Church.) 
Russian   prisons,   102. 

Samara,  250,  251. 

Schaff,    Dr.    Philip,    quoted,    156. 

Scoptzi  or  Eunuchs,   91. 

Scott,   Rev.    Charles   Ernest,    251. 

Sects  in  Russia,  rise  of,  91;  Jew- 
ish, 146. 

Seward,  William  H.,  quoted,   158. 

Sherbinin,  Prof.  M.  A.  de,  22,  49, 
160,  163,  203. 

Shilov,  Alex,   92. 

Siberia,  17,  60,  102. 

Simons,  Rev,  G.  A.,   248. 

Singer,   Henry,  *200,   226. 

Sintaev,  91. 

Skogsbergh,  Rev.  E.  August,  21, 
246. 


Slavs,  saviors  of  western  Europe, 
7,  116;  still  bondmen,  54. 

Slovaks,   117. 

Sorrow,  Sacred,  41;  reveals  char- 
acter, 42;  sweeter  than  world's 
joy,   43. 

"Souls   in   Khaki,"   67. 

Speer,   Robert   E.,  247. 

Spirituality  of  Russian  music,   125. 

Stead,   W.   T.,   223. 

Stephens,  Thos.   E.,   19,   31,   233. 

Stone,   Rev.  John   Timothy,   247. 

Stoglav,  or  Hundred  Article  Coun- 
cil,  88. 

Strategy,   sanctified,   175. 

Stundists,  origin  of  name  "Gebet 
stunde,"   164. 

Sundwall,  Miss  Elin,  179. 

Sweden,  and  Russia,  57;  message 
from,  248. 

Swedish  committee  at  Stockholm, 
248. 

Swedish   churches,   leaders,    30. 

Swedish  Covenant,  57. 

Swedish   Day,   27. 

"Swedish   Standard,"  quoted,  28. 

Tchaikowsky,    the    composer,    125. 

Thomas.  Rev.   W.   H.   Griffith,  19. 

Tiflis,   165. 

Todoroff,  Andrew,  113. 

Tolstoi,   Alexis,   53,    54. 

Tolstoi,     Dimitry,     54,     55. 

Tolstoy,  Leo,  45,   90. 

Tomkins,    Rev.   Floyd    W.,    21,    246. 

Torrey,    Rev.    R.    A.,    19,    136. 

Trowbridge,  L.  B.,   201. 

Trumbull,   Chas.  Gallaudet,  19,  247. 

Tycho,  made  patriarch,   156. 

Ukrainians,   17,   169,   241. 
Unity,   needed,   29;   prayer  for,   162, 
188,  203,   228. 

Varingians,  51. 
Vikings,  50,  58. 
Vince,  Prof.  J.  J.,  26,  170. 
Vita,  Dr.  V.  J.,  22,  228.  233. 
Vladimir    the   Great,    52,    53;    intro- 
duced  Christianity,    87,    155. 

Waldenstrom,    Rev.    Paul,  estimate 

of  Hoijer's  work,  167. 
Wasylkiev,  Mr.  John,  169. 
Wedderspoon,  Rev.  Wm.  R.,  19.  185. 
Wherry,    Rev.    Elwood    M.,    107. 
Wilson,  President  Woodrow,  13,  29, 

73,  96,  97,   180. 
Winchester,   Rev.  A.   B.,   22,  33,    70, 

79. 
Woolley.  Rev.  E.  Y.,  22,  27,  30,  233, 

234,  235. 
"Words  of  Life,"  Polish  paper,  113. 

Yaroslav,  the  Wise,   52. 
Y.   M.   C.  A.,  188,  249. 


BW6839  .B87 

Good  news  for  Russia;  a  series  of 

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